Virat Kohli - Legend in the making

A majestic & brilliant player

If the question “Who is the most dynamic emerging star of Indian cricket” is posed, the dead giveaway would be ‘Virat Kohli‘ and this is no exaggeration. He is as stylish as a filmstar, as aggressive as a warrior in the field and at the same time, as matured as a veteran player. Being in tremendous form these days, Kohli has played a lead role in almost every winning show of his side. This 21 year old, the fastest Indian cricketer to reach the milestones of 1000 and 3000 runs in ODI’s, with the same velocity, is growing to be one of the best in the world and is undoubtedly, the one to look out for.

The past is the only clue to predict one’s future and the glorious performances of Kohli in the past are indubitably announcing his bright future. Of course, there are some questions that may be raised against my first statement, such as “Can he handle pressure?” “Isn’t he too aggressive to lead a team?” But he had already proved himself both in first-class and international cricket and his every performance testifies my claim.

Hailing from a family which never discouraged his dreams of cricket, Kohli started his cricket journey (technically) at West Delhi cricket academy. Ever since he started, he was never just another cricketer. He proved himself to be the best at every stage. Now, here are some instances which denotes his passion for cricket. Virat’s commitment to cricket was unveiled in his very early matches. In 2005, he scored a 90 for Delhi against Karnataka, when no one expected him to bat. In fact, none of his team mates expected him on the field that day because that morning, Kohli lost his father. This knock surprised not only his team and coach, but also his opposition and proved his ability to channel his emotions and perform well for the side. He also displayed his leadership skills and shrewd techniques when he led his U-19 team to world championship. He is the second skipper to bring home U-19 World Cup. He also put up an extra-ordinary performance in the “Emerging players tournament” (2009) and played a crucial role in winning the title. He made his debut in the international arena against Sri Lanka in 2008.

Though, initially, his place in the playing eleven entirely depended on the availability of senior players, he made the most of every opportunity that came to him and very soon, he has become an inevitable part of the Indian side. In the 87 ODI innings he played so far, he has scored 13 centuries and 21 half-centuries, which is a remarkable feat. He has consistently been one of the global top scorers. He is also a part of victorious Indian team, World Cup, 2011. Kohli has not performed as well in tests as in ODIs but he is definitely improving.

Adding to his skill and style, this is the era of retirements. When the Laxmans and Dravids of your side are retiring, that leaves a huge void in the team and at the same time, gives a great opportunity for the youngsters to fill in. This is a transitional period for Indian cricket and Virat has done enough for us to believe that it will be a good period for the team. He hardly fails to provide us with a glimpse of the future generation of Indian cricket. Now that Kohli has already been given the position of Vice-Captain and since he has adapted well, we can say, the position, “skipper of Indian team” awaits him.

To add a fun fact, both Ganguly and Dhoni scored 183 runs before captaining Indian team and Kohli also achieved this magic number. Let’s wait and see if this number works for Cheeku (as his team calls him) too.