He is the younger generation’s role model; he plays astonishing cricket and has amazed fans with his success on field. He is Virat Kohli. The young cricketer from Delhi climbed the ladder of success quite fast, thanks to his commitment to the game. With aggressive batting and consistent knocks, the middle-order batsman has carved a niche for himself. As India take on Australia in the semi-final of the 2015 World Cup on Thursday, Kohli, the ‘bedrock’ of Indian batting line up, is expected to guide India to victory.
Kohli – Asset of Indian Cricket Team
Heir apparent to India’s most calm and successful captain M S Dhoni, Kohli found place in the under-19 Indian squad in 2006, taking the same team towards World Cup victory in 2008. He hasn’t looked back since his ODI debut in 2008, when India played against Sri Lanka. 20 hundreds and over 30 fifties in One-Day format is indeed a feat. In 2012, he clinched the highest scorer tag by scoring 183 runs against Pakistan. Kohli also played a vital role in the ICC 2011 World Cup.
Such consistent improvement and stellar performance only indicate that he is a legend in the making!
Inarguably the most talented batsman, Virat Kohli was endowed with captaincy for the longer format (Test) of the game as Dhoni quit unexpectedly. In One-Day cricket, he shoulders the responsibility of vice-captain.
Records to his name:
- Fastest 19 ODI hundreds
- Fastest to reach 5000 ODI runs
As a captain, Kohli has shown promising results and that is why he deserves the honour. Ever since he started donning the role of a captain for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, he matured as a leader on the field. Kohli doesn’t quit when challenged. In fact, he bounces back to give a befitting reply to rivals by letting the bat talk for himself. With each match, he has evolved as a better player.
Angry Young Man
While his aggressive batting is talked about everywhere, so is his temperament. On-field anger and spats have brought him to light recently. First, a quarrel with Gautam Gambhir in The Indian Premier League (IPL) and then a lash out at the Mumbai people cheering for the team playing against Kohli’s team (Bangalore). In a recent incident, Kohli hurled abuse at a journalist and showed irresponsible and immature behaviour during a practice session of 2015 ICC World Cup in Perth. Kohli mistook the journalist for another one who had written about his personal life in a newspaper. A case of mistaken identity got Kohli into an embarrassing situation.
However, he manages to silence his detractors with his game.
Kohli’s Role in 2015 World Cup
Virat Kohli has been the blue-eyed boy of Indian team in the ongoing World Cup. His batting style, swift footwork, wide variety of shots, and the ability to lift team’s spirit when it is under pressure make Kohli a player to rely on, especially in big matches. Now that India is all set to take on Australia in the semi-final, Virat Kohli is being looked upon as a saviour, a strong supporter of the team who will give Australia the apt answer with his innings. All eyes are set on this player who has been compared with Sachin Tendulkar. Even Vivian Richards and Martin Crowe have praised Kohli for his extraordinary batting style.
The second semi-final of the World Cup is all set to witness a contest between two teams at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). As the Aussies have their chests puffed out with pride, Virat Kohli is expected to put up his best show to arrest their advance to the final. In this clash, the roaring gun from Indian side will be Kohli. He was the only Indian batsman to have scored over 600 runs in Test Series against Australia. He was in splendid form during all four Tests and set an example by leading from the front as the Indian skipper. Not to forget, he hit three centuries in the same series prior to the World Cup.
India would expect Kohli to continue his brilliant run.
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