Kohli quits Tests; Brand Kohli to keep scoring

VIRAT KOHLI RETIRED from Test cricket on Monday almost a year after quitting T20 Internationals, but the former India captain is certain to play an extra-long innings as a brand endorser.

- GEETIKA SRIVASTAVA

• A virat legacy: Experts say his commercial appeal extends much beyond the 22 yards

"Kohli retiring from Test cricket isn't the end of Brand Kohli, it's simply the beginning of the next phase," says Ambika Sharma, founder & chief strategist at Pulp Strategy.

"His brand equity was never built only on statistics; it was built on attitude, consistency, and cultural resonance. That doesn't retire with a format."

Ankit Agrawal, director, Mysore Deep Perfumery power. Like MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli has transcended the game itself.

From an "ordinary" Delhi boy with a fiery temper to a global sporting icon, Kohli's journey has always felt intensely personal to millions of Indians, say experts. His early image — gritty, passionate, unapologetically aggressive — made him both relatable and aspirational.