Virat Kohli lost his father in 2006 when he was 18 years old. The same day he made a fighting 90 to help Delhi avoid the follow-on and then went to his father's funeral
I have been following Virat Kohli’s career since the days he was playing Under-19 for Delhi and India. His progress from the junior to the highest level has been remarkable and this can happen only when you have passion, determination and focus to achieve your goal and fulfill your dreams. That’s what Kohli has done, particularly in one-dayers and twenty20 matches. And, I believe, with the passage of time he will become a world-class Test cricketer as well.
I am confident about this because Kohli has a solid technique, right temperament and a wide range of strokes. He can play on any wicket and is quite comfortable against short balls. In fact, he is one of the few Indian batsmen who isn’t scared to take on the
short ball. One can gauge it from his feet movement which is relaxed, swift and confident. But the best thing about him is that he never stops learning from his mistakes and shortcomings. At one time his scoring was heavily dependent on his leg-side strokes. He has changed this over the years and today he scores on all sides of the field. Now with Sachin Tendulkar all set to retire from cricket, I believe Kohli is the best bet we have to fill his large shoes. It’s a tough call, but Kohli has the potential to do it.
Just look at Kohli’s one-day international (ODI) record. He is currently the fastest player in the world to score 15 ODI hundreds and the fastest Indian to score 4,000 ODI runs. By the time Sachin turned 25, he had 15 ODI hundreds to his name, whereas, Kohli, who has turned 25 last week, has scored 17 centuries — and that too at a healthy average of 52 and an aggressive strike rate of 88. Interestingly, Kohli made his ODI debut at the age of 19, while Sachin began playing for India since he was 16.
Then, there’s something even more spectacular about Kohli’s performance: He revels like no one else, including Sachin, in Team India’s run chases. Of his 17 centuries, 11 have come batting second, and all the 11 hundreds have resulted in an Indian win.
There is no reason why Kohli cannot fill Sachin’s space. He is certainly a tough, competitive player. I remember the day his father died in 2006. He was 18 at that time. The same day he made a fighting 90 to help Delhi avoid the follow-on and then went straight to his father’s funeral. The same fighting skill was seen when Kohli got selected for Team India. In his first eight ODIs, he scored mere 177 runs, at an average of 29.5. But after he got his first century in the 14th game, it’s been a hundred every seven matches! He builds on his successes, never quite being satisfied with what he has already achieved.
Born in 1988, a year before Sachin Tendulkar made his debut against Pakistan, Kohli is as different from Sachin as chalk is from cheese. Sachin has always been an ideal cricketer who would never raise his voice; if ever he is angry he will allow his bat to do the talking. Kohli, in contrast, is aggressive and full of rage. But that’s what keeps him going. But now that he is an established face in Team India, he needs to shift gears. He should learn to harness his rage, his anger, his aggression.
And, I believe he is learning to do so. Just look how mature he was when he was compared with Sachin. “I feel really blessed when people start comparing me with Sachin, but I keep myself focused on my performance, and not on such comparisons. I literally worship him, so, I don’t see too much in this comparison,” Kohli said in an interview recently.
Kohli has already made a name in world cricket and bowlers look forward to get him out. But what I like most about him is his leadership abilities. For me, he is a perfect captain material. In fact, he has already proved himself as captain while leading the Under-19 team to the World Cup victory in 2008. He has also led Team India against Zimbabwe, winning the series 5-0.
The game of cricket is 100 per cent mental. This is where Kohli is so strong. You can’t play international cricket and get lots of runs if you don’t know how to apply yourself in middle. I can say it without an iota of hesitation that while the last 20 years have been ruled by Sachin, the next 20 will be ruled by Kohli. He will be next face of Indian cricket.
The writer is a former Indian cricketer and member of the World Cup-winning team in 1983