"Many people had written him off" - Aakash Chopra terms Virat Kohli 'the comeback king'

Aakash Chopra has termed Virat Kohli 'the comeback king' for his fantastic return to run-scoring ways after he had been virtually written off.

Kohli made an indifferent start to his Test career against the West Indies in 2011 and had a horror run in his first long-format tour to England in 2014. After being at his prolific best for the next few years, the modern batting great again struggled for runs during the COVID-19 period before returning to his former best ahead of the 2022 T20 World Cup.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra picked Virat Kohli's records, especially in run chases, aggressive captaincy, and loyalty to the Royal Challengers Bangalore as some of his defining traits. He also praised the modern batting great for his ability to make comebacks, elaborating (17:50):

"Last but not the least, the comeback king. You go up but then fall. Everyone has to fall but the important thing is how many times someone can climb back again. He fell once in 2011-12 but then he stood up. After that, he reigned for eight to ten years. There wasn't a blip at all."

"That was one blip after which he probably decided - 'Never again'. He played with the commitment continuously but then it came again during COVID, when he wasn't scoring runs. He hadn't scored a century for a long time. He missed quite a few matches and many people had written him off," the former India opener added.

Kohli didn't score an international century across formats for almost three years after his 136-run knock in the pink-ball Test against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in November 2019. He averaged less than 30 in Test cricket in all three years between 2020 and 2022.

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"He is back again" - Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli's place among the Fab 4

Virat Kohli was the Player of the Tournament in the 2023 ODI World Cup. [P/C: Getty]

Aakash Chopra observed that Virat Kohli proved cricket pundits like him wrong by reclaiming his place among the Fab Four, saying (18:35):

"Yours truly also said that he is no longer part of the Fab 4. He is now, by the way. It was about the runs at that time, in that period of two years, but he is back again. Steve Smith has fallen away. Kane Williamson is also going 50-50 but this guy is still there. He was there then also and has returned now."

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Kohli becoming the Player of the Tournament in the 2023 ODI World Cup was the icing on the cake. He stated:

"The way he has made a comeback has made the story even more beautiful. It seemed like things were done and dusted and you came and played a World Cup, and became the Player of the Tournament. You reinvented the wheel once again and reignited that passion."

Chopra pointed out that comebacks are always tougher. He claimed that Kohli's final comeback has been nothing short of outstanding.