Written By - SUBHRADEEP CHOUDHURY
Whenever we talk about Cricket, the most usual name that comes to our mind is Virat Kohli. There is hardly any one in this generation of the cricketing world, who haven’t heard the name. But what makes VK more special ??? Is it only that he scores more runs in this time or the way he goes about his game..?? But the initial question that may fly to your mind is that has he come to this highest level from the start of his career ?? So let’s have a look at how he has arranged his career till now.
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| Image Source - Wikipedia |
A spunky, chubby teenager with short hair after leading IND to glory in the U-19 world cup at Kuala Lumpur in early 2008. In an Indian team of that arena, with most of the icons, Virat Kohli, with his un-indian, 'bad-boy' intensity, would clearly be an unusual option.
- START OF THE REMARKABLE CAREER :
He soon joined the Indian National team and the fortune favoured him as he got the chance to open the innings in the absence of the regular openers. Though he played a commendable knock, the formidable pair of Tendulkar and Sehwag kept Virat out of the team.
He continued to impress for Delhi and dominated the domestic attacks. He went to Australia as an emerging player and scored truck loaded runs. With a fluent hundred in South Africa, he guided his team to a clinical victory. Those knocks ensured that he would remain fresh in the selector's mind.
- CEMENTING HIS SPOT IN THE NATIONAL TEAM :
The selectors had no choice but to give Kohli another go in the Indian side. After being given an extended run, he repaid their faith by notching up his maiden ODI century against the Lankans.
But the biggest stage of his life till then came when he joined Gautam Gambhir, his Delhi team mate, in Mumbai. With a 83 run stand, he pulled his team out of trouble and eventually set the platform for Ms Dhoni to finish off in style to lift their second ODI world cup in the enhating evening in Wankhede stadium.
In the hangover of the WC, Kohli continued to take giant stride in the format. The dream came true when he got his test cap in the carribbean island after 3yrs. He continued to be in the team in Australia but the lack of technique, seemed to make it hard for him to play.
- FIRE DOWN UNDER :
The selectors and the captain showed faith on him and he delivered a formadeble knock with visible changes in technique. In the final test of the series, he scored his first test century in Adelaide.
- BREAK THROUGH INNINGS :
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| Image Source - Wikipedia |
Every cricketer needs a break through innings to cement their place in the fan's mind. And the knock of 133* in Hobart did the same. He was just breaking a record like breaking a stick. He became the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2012.
In the 7 match series in 2013 between IND and AUS, he scored the fastest hundred by an Indian in ODI beating the record of his Delhi senior, Virendra Sehwag. The talking about him at that time was like that : “King Kohli has arrived. The King of run chase and a plethora of ODI records in the modern age”..
- THE TURING POINT :
IND arrived to Eng to play 5 test match series. All eyes were on VK, how he managed himself in the overcast condition. But what happened in the next one month was just out of every one’s equation. The classy experience duo of Broad and Anderson showed Kohli his poor awareness of his off stump. The score of 134 runs in 10 innings, was just horrible that India's star batsman had failed to deliver in the trying conditions.
He continued his struggle when exposed to New Zealand and a quiet series against South Africa left some dark clouds over Kohli's career.
- CAPTAINCY AND A CHANGE OF TECHNIQUE :
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| Image Source - Wikipedia |
With regular captain Ms Dhoni hang his shoes, Kohli with the captaincy shut all his critics when he scored as many as 4 test centuries in Australia against a fair bowling attack. However, his technique of playing beside the ball and the bat coming down from gully rather than slip continued to bother him whenever exposed to late lateral movement.
Though IND failed to defend their WC tittle in 2015, it was a fair amount of WC for Kohli who scored 100 against the arch rivals Pakistan. Kohli, now with full time test captain, helped IND to win their first test series in SL. Though he failed to score runs in the home SA test series, IND won that as the other batsman took over responsibility. Nonetheless, IND became the ICC No. 1 test team for the first time since 2011.
- IPL AND T-20 DOMINANCE :
He continued to dominate his t-20 run in the world t-20. The innings against Australia in Mohali had made place in almost every Indian's heart. One had to feel sorry for him as he had to make his mind with ' Player of the tournament' award for the second successive t-20 WC, something that he would exchanged for the elusive T-20 WC trophy.
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| Image Source - Wikipedia |
Though he scored runs in T-20, the IPL wasn’t that glory for Virat comparing his own standards. But like every critics, this one also came to an end with a record breaking 973 runs in 2016 (the most by any player) in the tournament to led his RCB to a runners up finish.
READ MORE - CSK'S SUCCESSFUL IPL-JOURNEY
- PLAYING WITH RESPONSIBILITY :
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| Image Source - Wikipedia |
IND's tour to SA in the early 2018 proved that VK could play with immense response. However, to make the ascent from 'good to great', Virat Kohli had proved the world that he didn’t need to be protected from the New ball any more, that he had started to become a versatile Batsman capable of the grind against the moving ball.
But all in all, he shut all his critics by scoring a mamoth 593runs in 5 match test series in Eng leaving all the ghosts of 2014. He also became the fastest to score 10k runs in ODIs, beating the master blaster by a fair distance.
- CRITICS OF A STAR BATSMAN :
There is another type of criticism grows when you become a star prolific batsman. Questions raise whether you can keep yourself active in that passion ?? And that too happened with him. Remainning centuryless in the last 20 odd innings has raised an unusual question over him.
- SPECIALITY IN VK :
Virat Kohli may score truck loaded runs and break the records with ease. But it’s not the reason that makes him special. The special thing that makes him out of the other common players is that he just goes on to learn more and more, rectify his errors. That’s how he has come to this place and become the best batsman of his generation. Now the most sweetest question is where he will finish at the end of his career ?? And what kind of benchmark he will set for the next generation to come?? And all the Indians will look for the best from one of their star batsman in the country.
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