'A team who did not love...': Former England captain explains why Virat Kohli was more successful in Test cricket than MS Dhoni

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has expressed profound disappointment following Virat Kohli's announcement of his retirement from Test cricket on Monday. Kohli concluded his illustrious career in the longest format of the game, amassing an impressive 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, which includes 30 centuries.

In his column for The Telegraph, Vaughan remarked: “There are not too many Test retirements where I am left genuinely disappointed that I won’t watch a cricketer play again. But I’m sad we won’t see Virat Kohli in England this summer or in whites any more.”

“I’m shocked that he’s retiring now, and I’m also quite sad about it. In my time involved in the game, stretching back more than 30 years, I don’t believe there is any individual who has done more for the Test format than Virat.” Under Virat Kohli’s captaincy India won 40 out of 68 Tests and now the format will be “far blander place” without him.

“When he took the captaincy just over a decade ago, I was worried India was losing interest in Test cricket,” said Vaughan.

Why Virat Kohli outshone MS Dhoni as a Test captain?

"MS Dhoni was one of the great white-ball players but it felt like he captained a Test team who did not love the format. The game needs India to be madly in love with Test cricket, and that is what Virat fostered as captain.

"His passion, skill, and the way he talked about Test cricket always being the pinnacle has been a huge shot in the arm for the format. Test cricket would have been a far blander place without him, and there is a chance it would have lost its appeal if he had not been as interested and invested in it." Vaughan described Kohli as the greatest player across all formats and called his retirement a blow to Test cricket.

"His retirement now is a blow to Test cricket and very disappointing for fans – not least in England this summer – but my belief is that he has helped forge a love for the format among the generation that will follow him, and kept the flame burning," wrote the former opening batter.

"It's impossible to compare across every era, but if you look at since T20 came in around 20 years ago, he is almost certainly the greatest player when you consider all three formats." 

MS Dhoni captained the Indian Test team from 2008 to 2014, leading the squad in 60 matches, during which he achieved 27 victories and suffered 18 defeats, resulting in a win percentage of 45 percent. Vaughan emphasized that while Dhoni was a successful leader, the Indian Test team underwent a remarkable transformation under Virat Kohli, regaining its competitive spirit. Vaughan noted that Kohli's contributions to the team are unparalleled and have made a profound impact on the Test format.

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