‘I will never forget …’: David Warner’s emotional tribute Virat Kohli will leave you away from tears and eyes

New Delhi: Former Australian batsman David Warner shared a hearty tribute on social media when Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket on Monday. Kohli, 36, ended his magnificent red-ball career to announce his squad for the upcoming tour of India. Since making his Test debut in 2011, Kohli played 123 matches, scoring 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85. His announcement came through Instagram, five days later, captain Rohit Sharma also bid farewell for the longest format.“The full legend of our game,” Warner wrote.“When we were younger, I would never forget my first game against each other. I felt that this man was a serious contestant and was going to be great, someone would praise.“Wow, have you not disappointed? Thank you for being the best of all of us who competed against you. Now enjoy the time away from the whites. Enjoy the time of the additional family. Thanks @Virat. Koli,” said Warner.Batting primarily at number four, Kohli saw 30 test centuries and 31 fifties, with not a highest score of 254.Kohli posted on his official feed, “It’s 14 years when I first wore a baggy blue in Test cricket.”“Honestly, I never imagined this journey that this format would take me. It has tested me, shaped me, and taught me a lesson that I will take to life.

“As I am away from this format, it’s not easy – but it seems right. I have given it everything that I had, and it is given to me a lot as much as I could expect.”Known for his intensity and passion, Kohli also enjoyed a remarkable term as India’s Test captain, which the team won 40 in 68 matches with 17 defeats. He stepped as captain in 2022. Among Indian captains, only MS Dhoni (27 wins in 60 tests) and Sourav Ganguly (21 in 49) come close to their records.Kohli wrote, “I am going away with gratitude -filled heart – for the game, with the people with whom I shared the field, and for every person who saw me on the way,” Kohli wrote.“I will always look at my test career with a smile.”Although Kohli remained a terrible contestant, his form was submerged in the last two years, an average of just 32.56 in that period – unlike his extreme years between 2011 and 2019, when he was close to 55.