Why Virat Kohli is the symbol of a youthful and exuberant India

The passion is evident in his eyes. His mind always seeks the next challenge to be vanquished, and his arms crave for the next boundary to be scored. Virat Kohli has, without a shadow of a doubt, emerged as the undisputed emperor of ODI cricket.

He is just 30 years old, but is already considered by many as one of the greatest players to have ever played the game. He has already scored close to 11000 ODI runs, and is just nine centuries shy of going past the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of 49 hundreds in ODI cricket.

The most fascinating aspect of Kohli’s batsmanship is his simplicity. The head is steady, the weight is transferred on either foot with ease, the roll of the wrists is supple and fluent. After Dravid and Tendulkar, Kohli is the most technically gifted Indian batsman ever.

One aspect, of course, that distinguishes Kohli from all the illustrious batting luminaries of the past is his intention to dominate. At no point will you see Kohli allowing the situation to dictate his next move. He is a fighter, a man who will never give up.

And that is precisely why Kohli will end up shattering records and take ODI cricket to transcendental heights never seen before.

And, the responsibility of leading the side has only made him stronger. He has taken fitness levels to new heights and has infused that fighting spirit and desire to dominate in the Indian team that they lacked in the past. India has already achieved tremendous success under his astute leadership and this Kohli era might end up as the brightest in the history of Indian sport.

With every passing year, Kohli has continued to venture into uncharted territories. He has already laid the foundation stone to reach dizzying heights never witnessed before in the history of the game.

But, more than anything else, Kohli is the one sportsman who mirrors a youthful and exuberant India. Today’s India is an India of startups, an India that is willing to take risks, and it is Kohli who epitomises this spirit more than any other Indian sportsperson.

He is always ready for the next challenge, does not shy away from having a confrontation with the opposition if required, and is always a livewire on the field. He has also emerged as a cult figure as far as fitness is concerned. And that is why, the youth of this country can connect to Kohli with ease.

Virat Kohli has indeed emerged as the symbol of a youthful and an exuberant India