India, Dec. 23 -- As Virat Kohli returns to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy for the first time in 15 years, one sight stood out. In the lead-up to the match, when Kohli was practising in the nets, he had his white pads on. And boy, did that bring back a sea of memories or what? India's most successful Test captain, leading the team to incomparable heights. Those screams of aggression, the '60 overs of hell' speech, those peak years from 2014 to 2019, five ICC maces in a row. In short, Kohli became the walking embodiment of Test cricket, winning over an entire new generation of fans.

But soon, reality hit hard. All that is now a thing of the past. Virat Kohli has retired from Test cricket, under circumstances only he or the BCCI is aware of....