Virat Kohli Test strike rate: Where does the Indian batter stand compared to other legends

Virat Kohli, after 14 long years in whites, has called time on an illustrious Test career. While Kohli’s game hasn’t been all about the numbers, the maestro deserves credit for a rather definitive strike rate of 55.57 in the red-ball format.With controlled bursts of aggression and tactical brilliance, the right-hander’s 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries stand alongside a strike rate that bests the likes of Sachin Tendulkar (54.04) and VVS Laxman (49.37). Pitching up alongside the greats with his world-beating spell from 2014 to 2019, Kohli’s claim to become an all-time great was inevitably subdued with age and fatigue in the later part of his career.Kohli has been ‘the’ man to beat for India’s opponents in the 21st century, with several iconic knocks, both in India and overseas. If anything, the man loved to shine on rival turf. Kohli’s inimitable 153 in Centurion, 149 in Birmingham, and the consecutive centuries in Australia are some of his most memorable milestones from the crease.His glimmering brilliance evidently makes one overlook his prowess in Test matches in the country. Kohli’s scoring rate of 55.58 at home surpasses both Tendulkar’s 52.67 and Rahul Dravid’s 51.35. In South Africa, Kohli’s number drops to 49.50 but still manages to sit above both Sachin and Dravid.Who's that IPL player?Kohli’s numbers tell a tale of control, of timing, and the infallible obsession of India’s evermore reliable batsman and captain. Kohli retires a legend, leaving India on the verge of an England Test series, and be it his 55.57 strike rate or indomitable presence on the field, the country will miss him, and so will the rest of the world