Save your tears! Virat’s cricketing idol Sachin Tendulkar pens heartfelt note for Kohli on Test retirement

Virat Kohli’s Test retirement announcement on Monday (May 12) broke a billion hearts worldwide. The modern-day great took to his Instagram handle to inform everyone of his decision to step aside from his favourite format. A Test giant by all means, having scored 9230 runs in 123 matches in the whites, Kohli finished as the fourth-highest run-scorer for India in this format. On his retirement, his cricketing idol and greatest ever, Sachin Tendulkar, paid a heartfelt tribute.

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Keep aside tissues for some tears!

The fans, experts, analysts, and who's who of the cricket world compared Kohli to Sachin all these years, only for them to end up admiring both to the fullest. While Kohli bowed out as the best Indian Test captain, having won most matches as a skipper, Sachin remains perhaps the best batter the game has seen. Great yet different on almost all counts, both helped put Indian Cricket on a pedestal.

Luckily for Virat, he shared the Indian dressing room with his idol, winning the 2011 ODI World Cup at home together.

Since Sachin’s retirement in 2013, Virat took over the number-four spot in Tests, rightly justifying it with his countless match-winning performances, and more so for his impact on Indian Cricket and the game overall.

With both not part of Test cricket any more, Sachin took to his social media handle X to tell Virat how proud he is of his game and success in the whites while sharing a teary moment close to his heart.

Sachin’s tribute to Virat

“As you retire from Tests, I'm reminded of your thoughtful gesture 12 years ago, during my last Test. You offered to gift me a thread from your late father. It was something too personal for me to accept, but the gesture was heartwarming and has stayed with me ever since. While I may not have a thread to offer in return, please know that you carry my deepest admiration and very best wishes,” Sachin wrote on his social media post.

“Your true legacy, Virat, lies in inspiring countless young cricketers to pick up the sport.

“What an incredible Test career you have had! You have given Indian cricket so much more than just runs – you have given it a new generation of passionate fans and players.

“Congratulations on a very special Test career,” he concluded.

Rishi Sunak, the former United Kingdom Prime Minister, expressed sadness over not being able to watch Kohli this summer in England as India travels to the UK for the five-match Test series starting June 20 in Leeds.

Paying tribute to Virat, who said goodbye to his favourite format, Sunak wrote,“Sad we won't get to see @imVkohli one last time this summer.He has been a legend of the game: a superb batsman, an astute captain and a formidable competitor who always understood the true value of Test cricket.”