As the cricketing world digests the retirement of Virat Kohli from Test cricket, tributes have poured in from every corner of the globe. Among the most insightful has been that of Australian Women’s team captain Alyssa Healy, who shared her favourite Kohli memory on the Willow Talk podcast, reflecting on not just his remarkable achievements but the indelible impression he left on even his fiercest opponents.
When Alyssa Healy was asked to pick a moment that stood out from Kohli’s storied career, her mind went straight to Adelaide, 2014. This was a turning point not only for Kohli, who had just donned the Test captaincy, but also for those who witnessed a raw, audacious temperament rarely seen on debut as a leader. Against a formidable Australian attack comprising Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle, and Nathan Lyon, Kohli scored back-to-back centuries, a feat that immediately set him apart.
“He just got the captaincy and his counterattack against our bowling lineup. Virat went with a hundred in the first innings. He changed the pace of the game really quickly to put it back on the bowlers,” Healy recalled. Even though Nathan Lyon’s seven-wicket haul in the second innings sealed the victory for Australia, Kohli’s twin tons-especially the counterpunching first-innings hundred-captivated Healy. For her, it wasn’t just about the numbers, but the manner in which he shifted momentum and challenged the very best.
The podcast took a lighter turn when Healy recounted what her husband, Mitchell Starc, had to say about bowling to Kohli. “Mitch actually likes bowling at him. Just hang it out off stump and Virat loves to nick it,” she said with a smile. The reference to Kohli’s much-discussed off-stump game was delivered with the kind of affection and respect that only great competitors share.
Healy acknowledged that while Kohli’s eagerness to drive on the up outside off stump had sometimes cost him, it was also what made him so dangerous. “Yeah, he wants to hit the ball. That’s what he’s done throughout his whole career. To be brave enough to drive those balls on the up is going to get you out every now and then, but you’ve got to counterattack as well,” she explained. This admiration cut through the narrative of “flaws” and instead recognized the mindset that propelled Kohli to 9,230 Test runs: fearless, positive, and always looking to dominate.
What lingered for Healy, and indeed for fans everywhere, was how Kohli combined technical prowess with a magnetic presence at the crease. “When he was unbelievably still at the crease and his head did not move, he looked so difficult to remove,” she said. This steely stillness, coupled with his signature flair and ability to score all around the wicket, made him an adversary that teams respected and feared in equal measure.
It’s telling that Healy’s favourite memory of Kohli is tied not to an Indian triumph, but to a display of unyielding skill and spirit against the very best. In that Adelaide Test, Kohli didn’t just announce himself as a captain, he reaffirmed why cricket, at its highest level, is about more than just numbers. It’s about the moments that transcend the result, where skill, courage, and intent combine to leave a lasting imprint, even on the opposition.
As the curtain falls on Virat Kohli’s Test career, it is memories like these, etched in the minds of contemporaries like Alyssa Healy, that underscore his legacy as one of the most compelling, audacious, and respected cricketers of his era.
