The Virat Kohli phenom: Extreme self-assurance mistaken for arrogance

In November 2013, after playing his 200th Test and his last international, Sachin Tendulkar sat in the Wankhede dressing room, all by himself, contemplating the moment. Here’s what happened next, in his own words -

“As I sat in the dressing room, Virat walked up to me. I could see tears in his eyes as he approached me and held out a gift for me. It was evidently something very close to his heart. He said his dad had given it to him (a family heirloom for good luck) and he’d always wondered who he would pass it on to."

"I was speechless that he’d considered me worthy of such a rare honour. As we hugged, a lump had started to form in my throat, and I asked Virat to leave before I burst into tears.”

By 2016-17, when Virat Kohli fully took over the captaincy in all formats, the transformation was complete. Still combative and always a straight shooter, he was unafraid to call the Australian captain a cheat without ever using the word or taking on the media for criticizing MS Dhoni and questioning his place in the team.

This extreme self-assurance, mistaken for arrogance by some, is also key to understanding the Virat Kohli phenomenon. That, and what Tendulkar describes as his “peripheral vision”.

“He can read the game brilliantly and can anticipate the run of play well in advance. That’s why he is so good in a run chase. He knows and understands where a match can be [before it gets to that point], which helps him marshal his resources better”, says Sachin.

Mostly importantly, Virat was at peace with himself as captain and that’s what explains his results at Test level. At peace with his game and where he wanted to take Indian cricket.

The Virat story, despite the sheer scale of his achievements, isn’t complete yet. While the 2018 series victory in Australia had given Virat a serious push as captain, 2021 England will also remain a huge high point.

Virat Kohli's passion for Indian cricket is unquestionable

A conversation on 16 February 2021, hours after India had won the second Test levelling the series 1-1, sums things up about Kohli the skipper.

Virat had put on a masterclass against the turning ball on the third day, quashing all debates on the pitch. He had demonstrated that it was possible to score runs on the Chennai wicket and all you needed was sublime skill to be able to do so.

And this, after a ball that spun and found the gap between his bat and pad as he tried to play an expansive cover drive to Moeen Ali, removed him for a duck. In the second innings, there was an exaggerated shuffle each time he faced Moeen and it was only after he was settled and comfortable did he play his first cover drive.

With the ball turning and bouncing, batting wasn’t easy. But Virat, it seemed, was in his own zone. Counter attacking every loose ball on offer, Virat, with Ravichandran Ashwin for company, put the match conclusively beyond England.

When I congratulated him for an innings of great skill and character, he was somewhat philosophical.

“We are all here to do a job. And as captain I will do it to the best of my ability. As long as I am around you will see me turn up every single day and give my 100 percent. And then in some years it will be time to move on and hand over the baton. That’s how this sport is and each one of us are here to serve the team we play for”, he said.

Safe to say, he has. Congrats on a great 7 years at the helm, Virat.