India, June 6 -- As we get closer to the Test series between India and England - starting in 14 days - the reality that Virat Kohli will no longer be in the dressing room in whites is hitting harder. It's been almost a month since Kohli decided to retire from the format which he so dearly loved and had a passion for like no one else. Besides, he is only 36. Surely, he could have gone on for another couple of years, right? Well, only Kohli knows why he decided what he did. But rest assured, his absence will be felt in England, and more so, when someone else walks out to bat at the fall of India's second wicket in Headingley, Leeds.

A few days ago, Indian cricket made one final push to change Kohli's mind when Arun Dhumal, the IPL presiden...