Williamson, Smith pay tribute to Virat Kohli's memorable Test career

Picture Courtesy/Kane Williamson`s Instagram account

Two of the 'Fab Four' players, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson, paid tribute to Team India stalwart Virat Kohli, who recently drew curtains on his glorious Test career.

One of Kohli's top competitors, Williamson, heaped praise on the Indian by saying that his impact has gone far beyond his numbers.

"Congratulations brother, @virat.kohli. What a journey. The numbers are there for everyone to see, but your impact has gone far beyond that. You'll be remembered for pushing the boundaries of the game. That drive and hunger has been an inspiration to all of us," he wrote on Instagram. Taking to Instagram:

Competing with Kohli since the Under-19 days, Williamson credited Team India's star batsman for expressing his authentic self and wished him luck for his new chapter.

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"A pleasure to share the field from the U19 days and right through 14 years of test cricket. Gosh, where has all that time gone. It's a credit to you that you expressed your authentic self right from the start through to the end. Respect bro, all the best with the new chapter," he concluded.

On the other hand, Australian star batsman shared a story on his official social media handle which read, "Congratulations Virat Kohli on an incredible Test career".

Picture Courtesy/Steve Smith's Instagram account

Over the past 14 years, Virat Kohli has been India's crisis man in the longest format of the game. His absence has left a huge void in the Indian team, and will expect a newcomer to take the role.

Having represented India in 123 Test matches, the stylish right-hander has garnered 9,230 runs with a career best score of an unbeaten 254 runs. With 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries, Kohli goes down as one of the greatest players to have ever played the game.

To date, Kohli stands as the most successful Indian captain in the longest format of the game. The veteran comes second on the list after Sunil Gavaskar to score the most runs in a series by any Indian captain. Kohli has scored 655 runs during the 2016-17 Test series against England. Gavaskar tops the list by 732 runs in the 1978/79 Test series against West Indies.