Nobody Higher Than The Game Itself: Ravichandran Ashwin On Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli recently announced his retirement, bringing curtains to his 14-year Test career. While many believe his retirement has taken the shine off Test cricket, his former teammate Ravichandran Ashwin disagrees. In fact, he believes that nobody, not even Kohli, is bigger than the game.

"I do not think anybody who has played the game, or will play the game, is higher than the game itself. Nobody that walks the park does good for the game – the game does good or bad by them," Ashwin told RevSportz when asked about Virat Kohli being "ambassador" of Test cricket, as reported by the Hindustan Times.

Kohli is credited for keeping Test cricket alive when T20 Internationals (T20I) and leagues are quite popular around the world. In fact, many players give up Tests to make themselves available for T20 leagues, but Kohli did not surrender to it.

"I love Virat, but he has come, played the game, left the game, left it at a great place. And now, it is for someone else to take it forward," Ashwin said.

Ashwin, India's second-highest Test wicket-taker, with 537 scalps, says he is looking forward to seeing how India go in Tests under the leadership of Shubman Gill and his deputy Rishabh Pant.

"Now looking forward to the attitude and desire of talents like Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel to take it ahead. It’s time to see if they can replicate the intense energy that players like Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar showed on the field all these years. Having said that, it is everyone’s responsibility in the team to show that energy and desire," he said.

India will begin their five-match Test series against England with the first game at Headingley on June 20 (Friday).