Virat Kohli: The Crown Prince Of Indian Cricket

When I see a person becoming the face of multiple brands and hog the advertisement space on my T.V., I know that he is a force to reckon with. Now, let me make it clear that advertisement for me is a noise I desperately want to avoid. In fact, I change the channel at the very first signs of the impending noise, but when the same face is projected on my screen with such frequency I can’t help but take notice.

Yes, the face that I am referring to is that of Virat Kohli. That he is dominating the ad space (forgive him for the bizarre celkon ad) hardly comes as a surprise, for he is in a lucrative business viz. Indian Cricket. And in India it’s only Bollywood and cricket that can command such screen presence. It’s obvious that Kohli is doing good in his business, and I guess it will be safe to infer that he is the new poster boy of Indian cricket.

It’s common knowledge that Virat Kohli is a batsman (well, predominantly) of a very high caliber, and a successful one too. I know that for any venture to be successful its core competency must be in place. So I venture to explore the core competency of the successful Virat Kohli. I guess the slot in the batting line-up that he establishes himself in, must be that core competency. The slot encompasses all the cricketing aspects viz. style, temperament, repertoire of shots and the like. He is a candidate for the No. 3 slot which is left vacant after the departure of ‘The Wall’. Yes, the departure of Rahul Dravid has left an irreplaceable void in the batting line -up, whose gravity is felt more in Test cricket than the limited over format of the game.

But with all due respect to the genius, an able replacement is to be found. I’m afraid the slot can’t be left vacant like the jersey No. 10 in football, which is not granted unless a worthy successor establishes his credentials, like Messi did, to win it from the legendary Diego Maradona. I guess Cricket can also do with such tributes (do I know the jersey No. of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar or Rahul Dravid for that matter?).

However, don’t get me wrong for I’m not comparing Kohli to Dravid yet. I very well know that if I were to so much as utter both the names in the same breath, it would amount to blasphemy. But if Kohli’s batting statistics are anything to go by, we know that he has taken to his job in the right earnest and is making the opportunity of batting in the coveted slot count. More so, his recent unprecedented run of form has become the talk of the town.

With the above mentioned facts as the background, I guess I can make my premise that Virat Kohli is the crown prince of Indian Cricket. This is certainly open to arguments.

Being a part of the competitive world obsessed with multiple choice questions (MCQs), I am bitten by the MCQ bug too. I shall pose this premise of mine as just another MCQ (in this case slightly tweaked to serve the purpose). It goes thus;

Direction: Choose the most appropriate option.

Question: Who will be the next captain of Indian Cricket Team?

a) Virender Sehwag

b) Gautum Gambhir

c) Suresh Raina

d) Virat Kohli

I attempt to solve this question with my favorite technique i.e. by elimination. The answer in this case can’t be absolutely correct but only relatively correct. Now, I proceed by weighing the options in the order mentioned.

a) Virender Sehwag: The senior most member of the Indian cricket team for most of the matches (say, in Sachin’s absence). He brings vast experience to the Indian dressing room. It helps that he has captained Delhi Daredevils for quite some time now, and has met with reasonable success in the recently concluded edition.

Also he has been the vice-captain for a long time, leading the team in Dhoni’s absence. But, his seniority proves to be his undoing, for he will be well past his prime when Dhoni leaves the center stage. And I have reasons to believe that Dhoni will be holding fort till the next world cup. Hence, option ruled out!

b) Gautum Gambhir: His exceptional leadership qualities came to the fore in the recently concluded edition of the IPL, where he led a side battered and bruised by a string of failures, to the ultimate glory. His brief stint as the captain of the Indian team has also been remarkably succcessful. In fact, owing to Dhoni’s lackluster show in tests, one would want him to captain the test team.

But trust me, the trend of having different captains for different formats of the game is yet to catch up in India. So, It’s Dhoni for now and post-Dhoni I’m afraid age won’t be on this man’s side. Hence, option ruled out!

c) Suresh Raina: He, alongside Kohli represent the younger lot of the Indian team.This southpaw has been brilliant in the limited overs format of the game ,more so, the T20 cricket. In fact, he is the go-to man for the CSK side, ever dependable with the bat, often coming in handy with the ball. His brilliance in the field has won him many laurels. With agility under his belt, he is a true athlete on the field. He comes closest to Kohli in terms of the cricketing abilities and temperament, and is perpetually in contention for the roles and honors conferred on the latter.

Unfortunately, he hasn’t had any significant leadership experience. Also, he hasn’t been up to the mark in Test cricket, which is the touchstone for quality cricket. Though close to the right answer, option ruled out!

d) Virat Kohli: He is the quintessential personification of the young blood. His enviable batting average of 50 speaks volumes of his abilities. Ravi Shastri says “Kohli is now a yardstick of reliance”. Sure, he must be consistently good. He has all the strokes in the book, but it’s his eye for a single that clearly suggests that there is a man who clearly understands the nuances of scoring runs.

He is exceptional in the field, but it’s in fielding that he contradicts his own otherwise cool and calculated manner, reflected in his batting. For whenever he pulls off one of those astounding catches, he really does vent out his boisterous self. The choicest words that he swears by (MC, BC, ****) are hurled with such profanity that might put cricket in danger of losing the prized ‘Gentleman’s’ tag.

But I guess his brilliance subsumes the boisterous attitude. His century against Aussies in tests, which he credits to be the fountainhead of his unparalleled confidence, heralds the arrival of the young man on the big stage. He has had plenty of leadership experience, leading the U-19 side to World Cup glory. Age totally on his side. Hence, the perfect choice!

All said and done, Kohli will take on the mantle of leadership in due course of time. Unless a situation akin to the British throne crops up, where Prince Charles has been the eternal crown-prince, but owing to his age, his son Prince Williams is the favored successor to the throne.

I guess Dhoni is no Queen Elizabeth. Yes, it’s not going to be all rosy for the young man because the law of averages will eventually get to him. He is bound to hit a lean patch, for they say that even the Gods grow jealous of too much security and contentment. It remains to be seen how he copes with that. Hope he takes a leaf out of the great men’s lives, where they have thwarted the lean patch, making a comeback worthy of their stature (say, Federer).