Dear Virat,
It took me about 6 days to prepare myself to watch you play again tonight, all this while I was living in March 2025, where you told us all “Don’t be nervous, I am not making any announcements”. It made me believe that your final roar in white will be in England this summer. It made me believe in one last dance, one last record, one last tour, perhaps a final swansong for the greatest man of test cricket at the grounds of Lord’s or the Oval!
Last few years, especially post covid your records may have gradually started to come along slow but during this period as an individual I went back to start watching all the games you played in; especially your 119 and 96 at Johannesburg in 2013, in Wellington, when you brought out some aggressive 105 off 135 deliveries and two back-to-back centuries in Adelaide in December 2014, you created a massive surge between 2016 to 2019, across all formats and one of the best phases of Indian test cricket in what three decades ? You know you have some superpower; trust me I have not seen this in anyone else.
You know what, your cricket bought in my life, individual presence, the approach, performance, relevance, excitement, and love for red-ball cricket actually all formats. With your bat, words/ quotes, mind, gestures, body language; to put up a brave fight, and you didn’t mind going down trying hard, never give an inch, and never take a sledge without reciprocating (I personally have become one who tries hard to copy you in my way of life.)
“For 60 overs, they should feel hell out there” is now a framed quote on my wall in one of personal corners at home. While you may have shaped and nurtured a lot of players believe me you have nurtured me in life. I still have to learn how do you accept “Captain or not you got be a team man”, it’s hard to follow. I don’t know how you managed and forever remained a team man (when at times the selectors the followers the trollers made it tough, I wonder how!) roaring for every big and small win and wicket, encouraging and celebrating. Believe me I still don’t buy the argument that your hand-eye-feet coordination seemed to have no balance.
Author- Rishika.
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