India, May 13 -- The clenched fists, the animated celebrations, the roaring send-offs and the unrelenting intensity - Virat Kohli didn't just play Test cricket. He performed it. He gave it a pulse in a time when the longest format was being pushed to the margins by the charm of white-ball cricket.

Kohli turned Test cricket into a main event again and for a generation raised on instant thrills and depleting attention spans, he made them believe that a hard-fought dogfight on Day 5 was still the most exhilarating experience.

Kohli was raw, volatile but magnetic. He didn't just bring eyes to the format - he made you feel something. The results were evident in India's never-seen-before wins, improved fielding and an era of fast bowling that...