India, May 13 -- Statistics offer only a partial view of sporting greatness. In Virat Kohli's case, they are likely misleading. After playing 123 Test matches and scoring 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, Kohli has called it a day, leavinga big hole in the batting order just as India embarks on a likely tough tour of England. The numbers do not do justice to the pure delight of his batsmanship or the enormous impact he has had on Indian cricket, more so as its most successful Test captain.He was definitelyamong the greatestbatsmenof his generation, and between 2016 and 2019, he wasprobablythe best. Still, his indifferent form since means that hiscontemporaries Joe Root, Steven Smith, andKane Williamson are likely to leave the game soon with bettercareerbatting records. Kohli's brilliance made pitch, weather conditions, and quality of attack irrelevant, as he scored centuries across the world. On this count, he is up there with India's best-ever, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, and Rahul Dravid, though statistically, he is closer to Gundappa Viswanath and VVS Laxman, two middle-order match-winners known for their sublime batting. Kohli was gifted, no doubt, but he went back to the drawing board when challenged by skilled bowlers to rework his craft and fitness - his disciplined batting against the swing and seam of Jimmy Anderson in the English summer of 2018 showcased his resilience. But Kohli the batsman is only half the story; Kohli the captain was a transformative figure who reflected his times. If Gavaskar represented the safe and slow approach of pre-liberalisation India, and Tendulkar the energy and excitement of a nation on a high-growth path, Kohli was the new India, confident and aggressive in demanding its seat at the global high table. As captain, he was cast in the Sourav Ganguly mould. He declared that he played to win, and always win. It was an exhilarating sight to see Team India in whites dictating terms to the Australians Down Under and the English in England. And the captain, aggression personified in words and gestures, off and on the pitch, led from the front. With 40 wins from 68 outings, he isIndia's most successful Test captain. This Delhi middle-class boy's intensity and hunger for success rubbed on a talented team even if Brand Kohli subsumed the contribution of peers such as Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravichandran Ashwin. For 14 years, Kohli was an animated, inspiring presence on the field for Team India. It will take a while before it reconciles with his absence, coming in the wake of the retirements of Ashwin and Rohit Sharma. Meanwhile, fans can rewind their memory to recall those exquisite drives, pulls and flicks off legs - and hope he continues to play ODIs, a format he has made his own, and one in which he can rightfully stake his claim as the GOAT....