A decree from King Kohli: "this moment is right up there with the best moments I’ve had in my career, but it’s still marks five levels under Test cricket. That’s how much I value Test cricket."

Virat takes time out of celebrating his first IPL title to remind us that Test cricket is the highest form.

I tuned into the IPL final as it was a convenient time, and I was recovering from a difficult drive to Porto from our digs somewhere higher up the Douro River.

It would have been easier to catch a boat downstream to the coast. This driving on the wrong side of narrow, winding roads is enervating. And they drive alarmingly fast in this country!

I’ll leave the game analysis to those who engage with the format and the tournament more earnestly than I do.

I do, however, want to highlight an interview Matthew Hayden did with the ecstatic Virat Kohli after the match.

His side had raised the trophy after 18 attempts, and it clearly meant the world to him, but not quite the whole world.

God, I love Virat.

And the reason I love him so much is that he has stood, arms folded, resistant to the commercial reduction of cricket.

Sure, he plays all three formats. He makes a truckload of money in the least of those formats, but you could never suggest he gives anything less than his all every time he walks onto a cricket field.

But, Kohli has always venerated Test match cricket.

He respects the oldest and longest form of the game in the way a young man should respect his elders (it was wonderful to see the humble way he greeted Shreyas Iyer’s dad after the game); he always places and placed it above and beyond anything the other formats can bring to him as a player.

Even in the ecstatic moments after the win, Kohli felt the need to say that it was good, but when it’s not Test cricket, how good can it be?

Hearing his comments underlined just how difficult it must have been for him to walk away from the red ball game.

Pardon me if I just let the transcript run, but this needs no authorial intrusion.

“This win is as much for the fans as it is for the team. It’s been 18 long years. I’ve given this team my youth, my prime and my experience. I’ve tried to win this every season when I come, give it everything I have. To have this moment is an unbelievable feeling.

“I never thought this day would come. I was overcome with emotion as soon as the last ball was bowled. This means so much to me. I’ve given each and every ounce of my energy to this team. To have finally won the IPL is an amazing feeling.

“I’ve given everything I’ve had for the last 18 years; I’ve stayed loyal to this team no matter what. I’ve had moments where I thought otherwise, but I stuck to this team. I stood behind them, they stood behind me. I’ve always dreamt of winning it with them. This is far more special than winning it with anyone else, because my heart is with Bangalore, my soul is with Bangalore. As I said, this is the team I’m going to play for till the last day I play the IPL. So, this one is absolutely right up there.

“As sportsmen, we grind for something, and this is a very high-intensity, high-quality tournament which is of great value in world cricket today. And I’m someone that wants to win the big tournaments, the big moments, this one was missing and tonight I’m going to sleep like a baby.

“I’ve an opportunity to play this game for not many years. So, there’s an end date to our career as you know. By the time I hang up our boots, I can sit at home and say I gave it everything I had. I look for ways to improve.”

“This management and group of players have been outstanding to be honest. They’ve got in the right kind of players, people who take the game on. In the auction, a lot of people questioned our tactics. But by the end of day two, we were very happy with what we had.

“We had a lot of confidence in the strength of this group. And I want to give a big shout out to this team. It wouldn’t have been possible without each and everyone: in the squad, in the playing XI, the management backing the players, keeping us positive throughout when the going got tough. So, it’s everyone’s. I don’t want to sit here, and talk about myself. There’s a lot that’s been spoken about me already. This win is for Bangalore. It’s for each and everyone of the players, their families and the management.

“This moment [the IPL win] is right up there with the best moments I’ve had in my career, but it’s still marks five levels under Test cricket. That’s how much I value Test cricket. That’s how much I love Test cricket. I would just urge youngsters coming through to treat that format with respect.

“If you perform in Test cricket, you walk around anywhere in the world, people look you in the eye, shake your hand and say well done, you played the game really well. If you want to earn respect in world cricket all over, take up Test cricket, give your heart and soul to it and earn the respect from legends.”