Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar showered praise on Virat Kohli after the veteran announced his Test retirement on Monday. Manjrekar said Kohli was a perfect role model for the young athletes with his six-pack abs, his tattoos and his style of playing cricket.

Kohli amassed 9230 runs in 123 Test matches at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries. The Indian superstar delivered consistently in the Test format, especially as a leader in foreign conditions.

The veteran had an insatiable hunger to succeed at all cost and always gave his 120% on the field for the team.

Sanjay Manjrekar wrote for Hindustan Times, “In every way he was a modern-day hero, a role model for young athletes with his six-pack abs, his tattoos and his style of playing cricket. He did not conform to behaving ‘correctly’ on the field… he was there to win and he wasn’t going to let convention come in the way. But he worshipped Test cricket.”

The cricket expert added that Kohli invested deeply in Test cricket when the format needed a much-needed boost.

“And for a while when Test cricket was really struggling (and will continue to do so) as a format, Virat invested much in it, showing that his heart was in the right place. He is a very rich sportsman but until the very end he gave his all to Test cricket, the most non-lucrative form of the game,” said Manjrekar.

He concluded, “When Virat the superstar was touching new heights in Test cricket, sometimes I would feel that the format needed him more than the other way round.”

Kohli led India in 68 Test matches, winning 40, drawing 11 and losing 17, and thus he is regarded as one of India’s most successful Test captains.