Sri Lanka umpire Kumar Dharmasena has made a touching tribute to India great Virat Kohli after the latter announced his retirement from Test cricket. Dharmasena can be seen standing beside a signed Test jersey of Kohli which he got as a gift from the former India captain. “I asked him for it once, and he gave it to me, signed by him as well,” Dharmasena says.
Here is what Dharmasena said in his caption to the post: “From fierce battles on the field to respectful nods at the crease – it was always a pleasure to officiate your games, Virat. Your passion for Test cricket was unmatched. Wishing you the very best as you step away from the longest format. Your autographed Test jersey remains one of the most special mementos in my collection – a reminder of a true legend of the game.”
“It is a sad day for cricket, especially Test cricket,” Dharmasena further says in the video. “I was fortunate to umpire a few of his Test matches. He is one of the greatest batters I have ever seen. The 54-year-old himself had a successful Test career as a spinner all-rounder, having taken 69 wickets and scored 868 runs in 31 matches between September 1993 and March 2004. Since 2010, he has embarked on an arguably more successful career as an umpire, coming to be recognised among the most reliable in the world. Dharmasena has stoon in 90 Tests as an umpire between 2010 and 2025, which incidentally is somewhat similar to the tenure of Kohli’s Test career.
Having made his debut in June 2011, Kohli retires as India’s fourth-highest run scorer in the format. He scored 9230 runs at an average of 46.85 in 123 matches with 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries. Kohli’s annual average never dipped below 55 for four consecutive years between 2016 and 2019. Additionally his calendar year average at the end of 2016 and 2017 were both above 75.