Test cricket would have been a ‘far blander place’ without Kohli: Vaughan

Michael Vaughan expresses disappointment at Virat Kohli's Test retirement, praising his impact on cricket and dismissing ego criticisms.

"Gutted, shocked and sad" at Virat Kohli's sudden retirement from the longest format, former England skipper Michael Vaughan said no individual has done more for Test cricket than the star Indian batter.

Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket on Monday, drawing the curtain on a stellar red-ball career. He represented India in 123 Tests, scoring 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries.

"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 gutted we won't see Virat Kohli in England this summer or in whites any more," Vaughan wrote in his column for the Telegraph.

"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."

Kohli led India to 40 wins in 68 Tests -- the most by any Indian skipper to date -- and Vaughan said it was the 36-year-old Indian who brought the love back to the traditional format, and the five-day game would have been a "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 the 50-year-old, who served as England Test captain from 2003 to 2008.

"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.