There are batsmen who own the crease and everything in its vicinity the minute they come out to bat. Read Chris Gayle, Shane Watson, Kieron Pollard, Kevin Pietersen. And then there are batsmen like
Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis – batsmen who nonchalantly but effectively go about their business; men you could trust your life with. Somewhere in the middle of these two extremes, lie the kind of batsmen who can do anything – the likes of AB De Villiers and Virat Kohli.
A typical modern day cricketer, Virat Kohli burst into the scene in 2008, when he led India to victory in the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia. Following a highly productive domestic season, littered with innumerable big scores and match winning performances, he found himself banging on the doors of the selection committee. An India cap seemed imminent, and once selected, Kohli did not disappoint. However, his uncontrolled aggression and flaring temper brought about the impression that he was brash, impulsive, impatient and downright arrogant. Struggling to cope with the immense pressure of playing cricket at the highest level, coupled with the fame and incredible adulation that accompanies any international cricketer, Kohli lost his consistency, and soon his place in the ODI team.
And then, Kohli’s attitude changed radically. “I didn’t feel like hanging out with friends or going for a party. For one and a half years, I was in the gym, the field, or practising. I would come back and lie down, thinking that I should get 10 hours of proper sleep for my body. My only aim was to get back into the team.” His efforts bore positive results. Once he made his comeback, there was no looking back. Once the records started tumbling, there was no stopping.
Over the next three years, he outscored all his Indian teammates by a long margin, making 2010, 2011 and 2012 his own. The fastest Indian cricketer to reach the 1000, 3000, and 4000 run mark in ODIs, Kohli displayed remarkable reliability and the unique, almost surreal talent to assess every situation perfectly and take his team past the finish line. An average of 77.55 in wins batting second exemplifies exactly that ability. His ODI record is jaw dropping – 4054 runs at an outrageous average of 49.43, with 13 centuries, speaks volumes of his obvious class. After all, no current Indian middle order batsman has made more ODI tons than him. Consequent to his astonishing success in 2012, his crowning of ICC’s ODI cricketer of the year was a mere formality.
Any questions of his ability to adjust in the longer format were fiercely driven down the ground. He was arguably India’s best batsman in the debacle down under, and his admirable composure in a tricky situation against New Zealand in Bangalore ensured that he kept any existing competition at bay. VVS Laxman calling it a day meant that yet another spot had opened up in the Indian middle order. Competing with the likes of Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina for that spot, he quickly showed that he was light years ahead of the pack, almost making a mockery of the chances of other hopefuls. Kohli had managed to resurrect his career, jumping up the ladder, more than just one step at a time. The endorsement deals came thick and fast, and Kohli had suddenly become the poster boy of Indian cricket. He magically transformed his image of a self-centred spoilt brat, to a potential India skipper.
There comes a moment in everyone’s life – a moment that makes or breaks a person. And if there ever was a life-defining event in Kohli’s career, it would have to be the death of his father in 2006. The sequence of events was utterly awe-inspiring. On December 18th, at the Feroze Shah Kotla, the Karnataka seamers had strangled Delhi and the game looked all but over for the home side who needed 143 to avoid the follow on, with Kohli being the only recognized batsman left. On the chilly morning of December 19th, Prem Kohli, Virat’s father and a prominent lawyer, died of a brain stroke. Precisely six hours later, at 9 am, eighteen year old Kohli was at the Kotla with his kit, and responded to his teammates’ suggestions of going back home with “I want to bat. It is what dad would have wanted me to do too.”
And bat he did. Slaying all his inner demons, he added 50 to his overnight score of 40, almost single-handedly rescuing Delhi from the dire straits they had gotten themselves into. Following a chanceless 200 balls, he walked back to the pavilion, only to be greeted by a stunned silence. Of all the demonstrations of Kohli’s mental strength, none come even faintly close to his display on that fateful Tuesday. Virat’s mother Saroj believes it is that very day that made him the batsman he is today. “Overnight he became a more mature person. It’s as if his life hinged totally on cricket after that day. He looked like he was chasing his father’s dream which was his own too.” she said. Clearly, Kohli opted for that moment to make him into what he is today.
Virat Kohli truly does represent the new legion of Indian batsmen – fearless, aggressive, audacious and staggeringly effective. Vivian Richards said in an interview that Kohli reminded him of himself, which is close to the biggest compliment any batsman can hope to receive. If Sir Viv is right – and since he generally is – we can calmly look into the horizon knowing that the future of Indian batting is in safe hands.
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