Written by Shriya Rajachandra
Good things fall apart, good things come to an end – okay but this isn’t the time for philosophy because this heartache is immeasurable.
When I was 12 years old, Rahul Dravid retired from cricket. A year later, Sachin walked away from the 22 yards. Looking at the anguish around me – I, a naive amateur sports fan, told myself, “I love Virat. He will now play test cricket actively, and he won’t retire. So hey, I am spared of this heartbreak.”
But well, on 12th May 2025, Virat Kohli announced his retirement from test cricket. He wrote on Instagram, “I’ll always look back at my Test career with a smile. #269 signing off.” As Frank Sinatra’s My Way, a song that carried his message, played – I re-read the post. His goodbye was heavy, but in each word, contentment lingered.
As tears clung to my lashes, I called my Appa. He let me cry a little, and then narrated a story. It was in 1987, when India played Pakistan at Chinnaswamy Stadium (Bengaluru). He said, “Sunil Gavaskar bats left-handed to face Iqbal Qasim. We (India) were falling like 9-pins. We lost the match by 12-something runs. I was in the stadium, I was sad but Gavaskar, oh wow, such a fantastic innings. I was just 29.”
Unsure with where he was going with this story, I continued to listen. “Can you believe, next morning, the headline read, Gavaskar retires from test cricket. It was a shock, can you believe it?” he exclaimed.
The moral of this story? Retire when people ask why, leave with grace for you have no more peaks to conquer – my heart felt lighter.
Good things always come to an end. With Virat Kohli, we have faced it all & stood tall. We have loved, laughed and cried. 14 years, 9230 runs, 123 test matches – this format, as Kohli puts it, tested, shaped & taught him lessons for a lifetime. He grew up in test cricket & took us along the ride.
He has retired from test cricket and I was not spared of heartbreak. The end is here, but it’s been a beautiful ride.