Arrogant, over-the-top and short-tempered. These adjectives, when used to describe a person, indicate someone who would, in all probability, be disliked by his teammates. But when combined with elegant, breathtaking, passionate and mature, it portrays someone who is at the prime of his powers, is loved by his fans and is the heart-throb of the nation. These set of adjectives are often used to describe Virat Kohli, the first set used much more often than he would have liked. But this 24-year old has already shown glimpses of being the next-gen superstar.
I remember having watched Kohli for the first time in the finals of the Under-19 World Cup, which India won under his captaincy. Here was a man, supremely confident of himself, jumping down the track to pacy deliveries, on bouncy pitches, smacking them around the park. He was an unknown name then, but analysts had already started talking about him. He had an excellent first-class record for Delhi and had just led India to a famous World Cup win. He had talent, but so did many others before him. The question was, could he make the most of the opportunity, if presented to him, to play in the Indian Cricket Team, something that many good first-class players before him had forgone.
He soon got his chance, and he got drafted into a team with the likes of Sachin, Sehwag, Dravid and Dhoni. He looked like a young kid, just out of school; but had the determination that is seen in very few cricketers. From the time he played on the big stage, he impressed. Here was a dynamic, top-order batsman who made heads turn with his batting. Again, he had talent. But he made most of the opportunities that he got, and became the cornerstone of Indian batting in the next 4-5 years.
His aggression on-field has often been criticized. To be fair, he has deserved the criticism. He has, in the past, made abusive gestures to the crowd and mouthed foul-language to his national teammates. But with the good comes the bad. He has bailed India out of trouble on so many occasions, that one has forgotten when India last won an important match without his contribution. The Indian win against SriLanka in Hobart is a case in point. Also, the recent win against Australia in Jaipur, when he made the fastest hundred by an Indian. He doesn’t seek to be the best behaved cricketer. He just lets his passions flow, and this free attitude is what has allowed him to play his best game.
There is no doubt that Kohli is India’s best batsman at the moment. The question is, can he maintain this form for 24 years for people to compare him with Tendulkar? The stats are stacked in his favor!