Virat Kohli: Ready to take over the mantle in Test cricket?

Virat Kohli

On the occasion of Virat Kohli’s birthday, this is a tribute to a legend in the making. The man who has rightly taken over the top ranking in the ICC ODI batting rankings on the basis of his consistency shown over the last few years. That he has achieved this milestone just a few days shy of his 25^th birthday shows how much further he can grow and reach even greater heights in the future.

From the time he led India to the under-19 World Cup title back in 2008, the whole world knew that this man was destined for greatness. The fact that he has lived up to all the promise he showed in his formative years and even gone on to surpass those expectations is truly incredible. He did not allow all the fame that comes with captaining a team to a World Cup victory to get to him. Instead he continued to work hard knowing that earning the senior Team India jersey was the ultimate goal and the one which he would be judged by.

The consistency exhibited by Virat is astonishing for a man of his age, which shows that he has matured well beyond his years. The way in which he has broken records in the last few years with an almost utter disregard for the record book shows that the man is never satisfied with his accomplishments and is always looking to push himself and achieve greater heights.

The characteristic which separates him from other good batsmen and makes him a great one is his ability to score runs under pressure in high scoring run chases, in situations when it matters the most. His ODI record shows that he has a much higher average when India chases compared to when India bats first. For most other batsman it is the other way round. When they bat first, there is no pressure of a target and therefore they feel free to play their natural game. But not for Virat! He has always stated his love for chasing, saying that facing a target helps him to plan his innings better as there is a fixed total in his mind.

His recent record of becoming the fastest batsman to reach 17 centuries that too by beating Saurav Ganguly, the next closest by a stunning 58 innings shows how far ahead he is at this stage of his career. The important thing to note is that invariably his centuries result in an India win which speaks volumes of his temperament. At this young age, he has already cemented his place in our hearts after being the architect of numerous Indian victories.

This impression that he has already created in a relatively early stage of his career is truly remarkable as it has created the illusion that he has forever been playing for India and that he belongs here. If he continues to score at this rate, even Sachin’s ODI records could be in danger!

The only chink in his armor till date could possibly be his record in Tests where he has not shown the same consistency as in the ODI format. But with his recent knocks in the ODI series and the impending retirement of the Master, things are looking up for this prolific run scorer to take over the mantle at No.4 from the great Sachin Tendulkar himself. It will be very interesting to see what great heights Virat reaches by the end of his career and where he stands in comparison to the greats of the game.