How Virat Kohli transformed India into an inviolable, unstoppable Test cricket fortress

The 36-year-old has left India in a need of a sudden and challenging transition, bringing down curtains on his 14-year, 123-Test long career just over a month ahead of the England tour from June 20, which will kickstart India's ICC World Test Championship campaign 2025-27.

Virat had a brilliant run at home, where he shattered plenty of batting and captaincy records alike. He played a crucial role in turning India into a fortress that other teams struggled to breach, falling short in front of Virat's tactical brilliance and centuries. At home, pacers Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma and spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja found immense success and wickets under the 'bowler's captain'.

In 55 matches at home, Virat scored 4,336 runs at an average of 55.58, with 14 centuries and 13 fifties. His best score is 254*, against South Africa in 2019. He is India's fifth-highest run-getter at home, behind Sachin Tendulkar (7,216 runs in 94 Tests), Rahul Dravid (5,598 runs in 70 Tests), Sunil Gavaskar (5,067 runs in 65 Tests) and Virender Sehwag (4,656 runs in 52 Tests). He also has the fourth-highest centuries by an Indian at home, with Sachin (22), Gavaskar (16) and Dravid (15) above him.

His home run can be divided in two phases, the first one from 2011-2019, where he was undoubtedly the best batter in the country and scored centuries for fun. But from 2020-24, as Test matches became more result-oriented and valuable due to introduction of ICC World Test Championship, the introduction of spinny dustbowls, depletion in form due to forces of time, age and law of averages combined together, leading to an underwhelming last few years at home except a few flashes of brilliance.

From 2011-19, he was India's premier batter at home, topping the run and century charts with 3,558 runs in 39 matches and 60 innings at an average of 68.42, 13 centuries and 10 fifties, with the best score of 254*.

Between July 2016 to October 2019, Virat scored six double centuries at home, the most by an Indian batter. He found extreme ecstasy and ease in converting his half-centuries into massive daddy hundreds. He was a master of gritting it out on the crease, championing the technique, mixing it with some 'Delhiwallah' aggression and swagger.

However, after years of sitting at the top of the throne, the law of averages had to come into play and show the world that Virat was, after all, a human. From 2020-24 at home, Virat scored just 778 runs in 16 Tests at home, with his average declining to just 29.92. Only one century and three half-centuries came out of his bat in these 27 innings, with his best knock being a masterclass against Australia at Ahmedabad, scoring 186 in 2023. This was Virat's last century at home.

As a captain at home from 2015-2021, Virat led India to the most wins by an Indian captain at home, winning 24 out of 31 Tests, losing just two and drawing five. India did not lose any series with Virat at the helm, winning all 11 of them. Australia, South Africa, England, and New Zealand, every team lost their aura and fearsome nature the moment they landed on Indian shores and were an easy meal for Team India and Virat. Rankings, past victories, and form did not matter as Team India practically had their own World Cup going on at home, with each team failing to land a prestigious series win in India to their resume.

From 2019/20 season, Virat-led India secured four successive Test victories at home by an innings margin, which is the only instance in the history of Test match cricket.

As a captain, batter Virat led from the front, scoring 2,871 runs in 30 Tests from 2015-2021 at an average of 70.02, with 10 centuries and six fifties in 46 innings. His best score was 254*.

Will Team India ever see a captain and batter as successful as Virat at home? Only time will tell. (ANI)