Thank you, Virat Kohli, the 120 percent man
It was an IPL summer of 2016. It was a breezy April evening in Bangalore with Virat Kohli being the one turning on the heat at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Adding some punches to it was his heralded batting partner, AB de Villiers.
It wasn't enough. Quinton de Kock doused that fire with a cool century and just like that, the Royal Challengers Bangalore had lost. But it wasn't the match or Kohli's innings for me that was special, it was when I tossed the ball to him the previous day and got a crisp thank you! in return when he was practicing with the side late in the evening.
I was an intern for a newspaper then and was due to start my rather short-lived stint at another big publication in Chennai. And for an intern — generally, the last in the pecking order in most organizations, I was fortunate to cover an IPL game as an assignment.
This meant covering the April 2016 game between Delhi (then the Daredevils) and Bangalore. A game where the fan in me had to take a backseat. Coverage also meant being part of pre-game press conferences and keeping a watch out if anything worth writing happens during practice. Imagine my pleasant surprise when I sat in the first row in the press room, holding my phone tightly and recording every phrase Virat Kohli was rattling out for the first time.
And one of the first things he said when asked something along the lines of leading from the front as skipper, Kohli used the lines "giving it my 120 percent" — and since then I have heard it countless times — in interviews, chat shows and post-match talks.
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He did it again in his statement that's perhaps his last statement of defiance as skipper. Virat Kohli is no longer Test skipper and in his own, in-your-face way, he put in a blunt but direct statement.
Before the world dissects the man, the numbers, the decisions, the performances, here's a quick message — he's human and he's got nothing to prove. While the story leans heavily towards being immense fan tribute material, something that was being saved for the day, Kohli hung up his boots for good, it had to be told.
Virat Kohli was resolute as a skipper, but he's got nothing to prove now.
This was my first thought when I heard Virat Kohli speak. He oozed confidence, he had that fire in his belly, he had something to prove. He was leading a crack Bangalore unit, who by the way are eternal bridesmaids in the IPL. Perhaps the question of a skipper leading from the front was something he took a slight for.
He let the bat do the talking the next day, slamming 79 runs from 48 balls. It wasn't enough to get the team through, but there was a message: Challenge Virat Kohli at your own peril.
It's been six years since then. The RCB are still yet to win an IPL, Kohli has ended his ODI tenure as captain who failed to win an ICC event under his leadership and while he's ensured that he's given his "120 per cent" in all of his missions, the results didn't yield.
Now, for that Test captaincy, the cap that is being passed on. There will be discussions, debates, opinions (like there's one coming from this journalist), and not all of them will be praising Virat Kohli the batter, and Virat Kohli the skipper. His ODI captaincy drama, which has all but been three Tests old, is still a fresh wound before this news comes in as a double-whammy worsening it.
And this isn't about Virat Kohli's 7962 runs from 99 Tests. It's not about the healthy average of 50.39, or the seven double-centuries, 27 hundreds and the 28 fifties. It's not that wait for the elusive 71st century (Relax about that already), nor is it the fact that he just led a team that was beaten comprehensively by a resurgent and spirited South African side.
By the time this piece is written, there will be an outpouring of emotion from Kohli and cricket ardents. Memes, tribute posts, Instagram reels and some highlight videos will find their way to phones.
I remember reading a report where Kohli had said he had nothing to prove. And he doesn't. Statistically, he's been India's best Test skipper. It was those major wins that would have been the icing on the cake, but hey, the icing isn't the cake right?
Those runs speak for themselves, and those milestones aren't as easy as they look on paper. Playing and going toe-to-toe against the best in the world, Kohli as skipper had one weapon in his arsenal along with his skill: A spunky attitude that would go for the kill rather than be happy with what he got.
He's been that way. Anyone who's followed his cricket, his captaincy and his life in general knows that he was never a back down guy.
If the fight is lost, it is, but at least he knows he can sleep with satisfaction that he put his opposition through their paces. That's who Kohli has been— Resolute and relentless.
Between 2016 and 2022, there's been a metamorphosis. And while the entire story of his Test captaincy retirement is yet to be completely revealed, there's no doubt that Virat Kohli is the man who resigned, but not out.
But it does feel like the end. I won't be surprised if he wakes up one day and decides to just drop in a casual message in his own typical fashion that he's had enough. And again, there will be that "120 percent" for sure.
So, thank you for your service as skipper Mr. Kohli. Watching you in whites has been nothing more than joy and frustration in equal measure, but not for a minute have there been doubts. Even if this is the end, it is alright.