The ‘Run Machine’ Virat Kohli
‘’The way my personality and character is, I am the representation of new India’’ was the words once said by Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli. Unlike much before him, He is not a firm believer of passive resistance, On the contrary, the batting maestro is an adherent advocate for all-out aggression who lives on the idea to dominate the opposition. Taking over the mantle from the great MS Dhoni, King Kohli has ushered in a great era of supremacy for the cricketing nation.
Growing up as a child
Being born in Uttam Nagar, Virat Kohli learned the ropes in New Delhi. Ever since his young age, the run machine stood out for his talent and attitude. Making his first-class debut for Delhi at the age of 18, He came into the spotlight when he decided to play for his team against Karnataka on the day after his father’s death and went on to score a total of 90. The opposition captain was in awe of his commitment and his coach lauded his determination.
Domestic career
Staying true to his nature, Virat Kohli always chased success beginning with the 2008 ICC under-19 Cricket World Cup held in Malaysia. He captained the team, winning the finals, and also ended up the tournament's highest run-getter and was only one of the three batsmen to get a century in the tournament. Soon after which he was bought by the IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore and has become a star performer of the team.
International cricket
He made his debut in the international scene in 2008 against Sri Lanka as he joined the senior rank of the Indian team. He was given a chance to open the batting playing some admirable knocks in the absence of regular openers. Struggling with his sudden rise up the ranks, he did get caught up in the spotlight and made some poor choices. Receiving a wake-up call from his coach Rajkumar Sharma, Virat reviewed his lifestyle and made changes to diet, attitude, and training.
Stringing together a list of impressive performances, including in the World Cup final when he and Gautam Gambhir put out a largely underrated 83 run partnership setting up the platform for MS Dhoni’s famous knock of 91*, which won India the World Cup. Following the World Cup, Kohli made giant strides in the game, eventually being given his test debut against the West Indies in 2011.
It was in the series against the Aussies in Australia, after struggling in the first two tests, the Indian batsmen delivered a breakthrough performance showing a visible change in technique.
While he was wrestling his way through the Test side, he was breaking records after records in the ODIs. It was his innings against Sri Lanka where it all began. Chasing an impossible target of 321 of 40 overs to stay alive in the tournament, He laid siege on the Sri Lankan bowlers to deliver a 133*, winning the game for India with 2 overs to spare. This game was hailed as the arrival of King Kohli, The King of run-chase
Earning the vice-captaincy of the ODI team in 2012 and being handed over the Test captaincy in 2014 following the retirement of MS Dhoni and leading the team to the number one position in the World test rankings. Recently surpassing Dhoni’s 21 wins on home soil to become the most successful captain in India. Then it wasn’t until 2017, He became the limited-overs captain after Dhoni stepped down from the position. Though not finding as much success as his predecessor, Kohli has helped India to be considered as a force to be reckoned with.
Stats
As of February 2021, Kohli stands tall with a record number of 43 centuries in 251 ODI matches being only behind Sachin Tendulkar who has 49 centuries. Scoring a total of 12900 runs from 251 matches at an average of 59.31. Kohli has certainly demonstrated his exploits in the red-ball format scoring 13100 runs from 90 matches at an average of 52.74 which includes 27 hundred. Although he is yet to hit a century in International T20, he is the first player in the history of T20I to score 3,000 runs and stands to be the only player who has scored 3000 runs in T20I history.
Records and accolades
Virat Kohli has earned many awards and accolades for his performances over the years.
International. Kohli has the highest number of centuries and the highest number of centuries in run chases in the world. He holds the world record for being the fastest batsman to 8K, 9K, 10K, 11K, and 12K runs in ODI cricket, reaching the milestone in 175, 194, 205, 222, and 242 innings respectively.
He holds the record of having the highest ICC rating points a total of 922 in the ICC player rankings for Test batsmen and is the only the second Indian batsmen to do so after Sunil Gavaskar who had a career besting rating of 916 points. The Indian skipper is a scorer of six double centuries as captain in test matches who superseded cricket legend Brain Lara who had five. Virat Kohli is also a recipient of India’s fourth-highest civilian award, the Padma Shri in 2017.
Playing style
Known for his aggressive nature as a batsman with sound technical skills. He is one of the fittest cricketers around and runs extremely well between the wickets. He possesses quick footwork, and bats with a slightly open chested stance and a strong bottom hand grip. He holds a wide variety of shots and knows how to pace an innings when batting under pressure. The cover drive is said to be his favorite shot and often praised by his teammates for his commitment and focus.
Kohli is also known to be a sharp fielder, due to his quickness and athleticism. He is also noted for his on-field aggression and often described as the most non-Australian Australian. He has got into confrontations with players and umpires on several occasions. Kohli has stated he has tried to limit his aggressive behavior but the pressure of the occasion makes it tough to control.
Recently earning 100 million followers on Instagram, Kohli has become the only Asian, first cricketer, and only the 4th athlete after footballers Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Neymar to do so. Kohli has continued to dominate on and off the field, But this has caused never any doubt to his primary intent, which is to win matches for India.
