As majestic as King Kohli: 10 similes that Virat personifies

According to many scientific surveys, the 30s are that phase in a person's life when he or she enjoys the most career and financial success. Well, what if you are the captain of a national cricket team which has a billion supporters, or you are a man with innumerable world records in your name and as many to follow, or you are the heartthrob of the nation and not just enjoy a huge female fan following but also are a style icon for the males, or you have an unparalleled brand value with an annual income of ₹160 crores?

And what if all these traits are characterized by a single human being and that too by someone who is yet to turn 30! If the surveys hold even a little truth, then the coming years are only further going to establish the legend called Virat Kohli that continues to grow.

Kohli's performances with the bat leave us with awe and wonder. He may carve out a beautiful cover drive or pull off an improbable chase, and yet he leaves us yearning for more. It seems like yesterday when we first saw him treading on to the cricket field dawning the national colors, even though a decade has gone by.

In the last ten years, Virat has established himself as the mainstay of the Indian batting order and as the undoubted leader of the team. His batting and captaincy have often been showered with adjectives that could define his class but each time he sort of leaves English language wanting.

However, there is a part of the beautiful English language that befits the grandeur of King Kohli and as he completes a decade of ruling the cricket world, we have a look at 10 similes that he justly personifies.

As brave as a lion

The lion roaring in all his glory

To believe that Kohli's bravery is comparable to that of a lion, one needs to observe the moves he makes as captain of the team. He has always endorsed the five-bowler theory as he firmly believes that taking 20 opposition wickets is the only way to win Test matches and one thing he makes sure is that every member of his team is playing to win.

"He is someone who will go for a win come what may. He does not have a negative bone in his body, he always talks about a win, never about saving situations." This is what Ravichandran Ashwin, one of Kohli's biggest match winners, had to say about his captain's attitude towards the game.

The Adelaide Test of 2014, his maiden one as captain of the team, is a shining example of him exemplifying this attitude. With a target of 364 to chase on a fifth-day track, Kohli made his intentions very clear to the Australians. He followed up his first innings century with a magnificent 141 and almost pulled off a stunning chase, only falling short by 48 runs in the end.

After his recent success in England, one can safely say that he has conquered conditions all across the world and shown everyone who the king of the jungle truly is.

As hungry as a wolf

The hunger is evident in his eyes

One need not look any further than Kohli's eyes to find them burning in hunger. He is always on the lookout for converting opportunities, be it while batting and searching for scoring opportunities, while setting fields and traps for opposition batsmen or while replying to a heated on-field argument.

He has amassed a staggering 9779 ODI runs at a second to none average of 58.21 and 6000 Test runs at an average of 55. Having scored 35 ODI centuries he is already second on the all-time list and with 58 international tons, it will not be fantastical to believe that he can challenge Sachin Tendulkar's century of centuries.

"I could always see the hunger and the fire in his eyes. The best part about him is that the moment he realizes there are areas he needs to work on he is immediately back in the nets working on those things", Tendulkar recently said of Kohli.

A ruthless competitor, he leaves no opportunity of achieving convincing victories. In his bid to make India the number one team across formats, Virat is certainly on track as his team has been defeating one opponent after another.

As fast as lightning

Kohli and Dhoni are the quickest

pair

running between the wickets

One of the quickest between the wickets, Kohli makes sure that while he at the crease, everyone else on the park, including his own batting partner at the non striker's end, are at their toes.

An excellent judge of the field and fielders, he leaves no opportunity of sneaking in a single from nowhere or converting the one's into two's and in turn into three's. He makes his partners run hard, often leaving them gasping for breath, unless of course it is MS Dhoni.

One needs to see to believe his agility in the field. Often patrolling the straight boundaries, he seldom gives opposition batsmen a chance to run an extra run when the ball is played towards him. Covering ground with pace, he puts his strong arm to good use to dart the ball back to the keeper or the bowler.

One particular example of this swiftness and presence of mind was at display at the Edgbaston Test of the ongoing India v England series when he quickly collected the ball and got rid of it even quicker, directly hitting the stumps at the non striker's end and finding his English counterpart Joe Root well short of his ground.

As busy as a bee

Virat Kohli is the most expensive player in the history of the IPL

As soon as he comes to the crease, Virat hardly takes time to get going. He sets off by feeling the ball hit his bat and one would rarely see him facing many dots.

He is always on the lookout for singles and doubles and constantly endeavors to rotate the strike. This has particularly been a major reason for his success as he does not allow the bowlers to settle into a rhythm.

"I have come to terms with the fact that I cannot hit big sixes so I focus on boundaries," Kohli said in an interview prior to the ICC T20 World Cup 2016. And he ended the tournament with 273 runs at an average of 136.5 and a strike rate of 146, also being adjudged the Man of the Tournament after already having won the title back in the 2014 edition.

In the IPL season that followed that year, Kohli, who was pointed at for no centuries in the shortest format, scored 4 of them in one season as he finished with an unimaginable run tally of 973 runs.

Notwithstanding his busy cricket schedule that keeps him engaged all year long, Kohli also finds time to please the brands he endorses, as many as 19 of them currently. With products ranging from cars, cabs and tyres to bags, suitcases, energy drinks, apparel, headphones, snacks and chips, brand Kohli is the hottest commodity in the endorsement market.

As bold as brass

Kohli has given the Indian team a fresh bold look

Virat Kohli has now led the Indian team in 38 Tests, and not once has he taken the field in two consecutive matches with the same playing XI. He loves making bold moves, always preferring to go for horses for courses approach.

Having said that, the constant chopping and changing in the side has not led to an atmosphere of insecurity within the team because of the belief the skipper shows in his players. The dressing room environment is like that of a closely knit family which shows in the performances of the team.

The teammates enjoy each other's success even though there exists a healthy competition for a position in the team. The fact that Kohli leaves his bowlers to do their job with himself manning the boundary in itself shows how much he trusts them.

Talking of bold moves, the one major shift that the Delhi lad has inflicted in the Indian team is the preference of wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav over the duo of Ashwin and Jadeja. This decision stems from the winning attitude that Virat brings to the table, rather than a conventional defensive containing approach to the limited overs game.

It is therefore not wrong on the part of Virat's IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore to have their motto as "Play Bold", a term that perfectly resonates with their captain's approach.

As steady as a rock

The rock on which the entire nation depends

In the 1990s, the Indian batting order largely revolved around one man, the team inadvertently being highly dependent on Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. It was believed that with Tendulkar gone, half the Indian side was gone.

On seeing the back of Tendulkar, the opposition believed that the match was their's. It will not be wrong to say that Virat Kohli has assumed similar significance in the present day Indian team.

His record in the limited overs format speaks for itself, as he anchors the innings beautifully, coming in to bat at number three. His temperament for the longer version was questionable at the beginning of his career, but if the last couple of years are anything to go by, saying that Kohli is the mainstay of the Indian team across formats is indisputable.

In fact, he has built a temperament no one would have expected of him a few years ago. He is not shaken by defeats or by batting failures, he is not baffled by his fellow teammates losing their wickets at the other end, and nor is he perturbed by any kind of off-field criticism. No matter what the situation is, the Indian team never lacks the stability lent to them by the rock called Kohli.

The 70s belonged to the great Sunil Gavaskar, the 80s to Kapil Dev, with the 90s began the rule of Sachin Tendulkar as Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni gave him company at the turn of the millennium, and the decade gone by has been the first half of what would be labelled as the era of Virat Kohli.

As fit as a fiddle

Arguably the fittest cricketer in the world

Virat Kohli has taken fitness to another level, training hard to not just keep himself fit for the game but also set an example for his teammates. The introduction of yo yo tests as a prerequisite for selection to the national team is one such thing. that underlines the significance he imparts to fitness.

The Indian captain believes that if one truly has to be among the best representing a country of over a billion, one has to be the best contender for that spot.

The sprinting between the wickets or acrobat-ism in the field are results of hours of hard work that have been put in by the skipper. Following strict diet plans and working out are features of Kohli's regime that are rubbing off on other cricketers across the world.

In February this year, he played one of his best knocks when he scored 160* in Centurion to set up a match winning score against the Proteas.

Out of his contribution of 160, Kohli ran for 100 of them, in torrid conditions in drought hit Cape Town and this is what he said after his knock, "I am going to be 30 this year. I want to play this kind of cricket even when I am 34-35. That is why I train so much. Because I am a guy who likes to play with intensity. Once that is gone, I don't know what I am going to do on the field. I try to train as much as I can. I keep a check on my diet. Those things pay off on days like these.”

As passionate as young love

He strives to give his 120% each time he is on the cricket field

Watching Kohli on the cricket field is as good an example of passion as one can give. A live wire in the field, Virat makes sure he turns up for every match with more than a hundred percent intensity.

It is this intensity that he brings to the game that makes him a spectacle to watch. One can sense that he enjoys every bit of the sport, be it scoring heftily or celebrating a dismissal, Kohli is always living his time on a cricket field and not just doing the rounds.

Comparing his passion to young love is also not wrong because he is himself a prime example of a passionate lover. He makes sure to acknowledge the presence of his wife Anushka Sharma in the stadium each time he reaches a landmark, by either blowing a kiss towards her or kissing his wedding ring.

As fiery as a volcano

Provoking Kohli on the field is inviting trouble for yourself

Perhaps, this is one comparison which needs the least explanation. A man who plays with his heart on his sleeve, Kohli has natural aggressive instincts. In fact, this aggression was often touted by cricket experts as the nemesis for his failures.

However, Kohli bounced back and in grand style. He channeled his aggression to beautifully suit his game. The brashness that led to him losing his wicket in the early days came to be the hunger he developed to score big runs.

Always in the face of the opposition, Kohli is never shy of giving it back, whether it be using his tongue or his bat. His antics on the cricket field which have added spice to famous rivalries thus make for a great spectacle and make him a crowd favorite.

That there is lava boiling within him is evident from his celebrations, which have mellowed down over the time. He doesn't leave a chance to give opposition batsmen send-offs and make his presence felt.

As wise as a serpent

King Kohli

Serpents are referred to in the Holy Bible as clever, crafty and wise creatures, known to portray a prudence in the way they deal with invaders or predators.

Kohli, in his own way, reflects wisdom while dealing with various oppositions and playing conditions and his mastery over the art of batsmanship enables him to prevail on each occasion.

From his shot selection to his field placements to his interactions with the media, the Indian skipper tackles them all with equal wisdom.

His computer-like brain is at the full display when he chases down totals with utter ease and also when he bails his team out of tricky situations.

In all, we can conclude that Kohli is a person who lives up to his name of Virat and that the way he has been ruling cricket, it is appropriate to say, Virat- as majestic as King Kohli.