In the course of the last decade or so, the Indian cricketing management have tended to make use of the fringe players much better than what they would have earlier.
The players, who find it hard to fit into the main playing XI on a consistent basis, are usually picked for tours like Zimbabwe, where the selectors are essentially looking to test out the bench strength.
One such tour involving the Men In Blue was in 2010 when the team travelled to the African nation for a limited-over tour, involving a Tri-series and a T20I series against the hosts.
After losing in the former, the team moved on to the latter and making his debut in the shortest format of the game was a 21-year-old right-hander, who was to take giant strides in the coming years.
Virat Kohli was a known name in Indian cricketing circles, for his sporadic brilliance in ODI cricket, but little did anyone know at the time of what he was to become.
He made 26 not out in his debut T20 innings as India romped home to a six-wicket win and take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. With a stacked top order, Kohli walked out to bat at the Number 5 spot in the game and you could see that for a player of his ability, he was batting a bit too low in the batting order.
Extra Cover: Virat Kohli in IPL through the years: The transformation in pictures
It wasn't abnormal for any young cricketer to be batting below some of the more recognised players in the batting line-up, but in the opportunity that he got to take his country on debut was accepted gleefully by an upcoming batsman and he did so with conviction.
While the next few years were tough on the young man, the turnaround in his T20 career came in 2012.
He was already being talked about as this next potential great for India in limited-overs cricket and someone would carry the fortunes of the side with the bat, in his hand.
The turnaround started in the World T20 of 2012, wherein a must-win scenario against Pakistan, the right-hander stepped up to the plate and delivered with a knock of 78 not out and ensure India remained alive in the competition.
A couple of years later, he was at it again. This time against South Africa at another World T20, in Mirpur. Chasing 172 runs for a place in the final, Kohli smashed 72 not out in 44 balls to take his side home.
The inning was perhaps the first time we saw how Kohli analysed a stiff chase in a crunch game in a T20 international.
He began slow, nudging the pacers around for singles and then when the spinners- he unleashed onto them, spanking them for sixes over long-on, before accelerating further against the pacers in the back end of the innings.
But essentially, Kohli the T20 player became Kohli the T20 star in 2016.
Beginning with the series until the World t20, the right-hander was the lynchpin of the Indian batting unit, becoming almost the wicket which proved to be the difference between India winning and losing.
Adelaide 2016. Mirpur 2016. Kolkata 2016. Mohali 2016 are only a few examples when the right-hander turned on an extra gear and completely left the opposition befuddled.
The critical element in Kohli's batting in the format is that he keeps his basics intact. There has never been mindless slogging, he keeps himself steady on the crease and meets the ball with the full face of the bat.
One other aspect about his batting is the manner in which he negotiates the yorker, a ball that bowlers rely heavily upon in the last stages.He stands deep, lets the ball come in and then slices it behind point. It is a way that not too many batsmen employ to get their runs.
He already has under his belt two Player of the Series awards in World T20s. Hopefully, he can also lift a World T20 in the coming years.
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