Virat Kohli - Nawab 2.0

He is the prince. He has arrived. He is your next king. He is Virat Kohli.

Seeing him bat with discipline and responsibility, Allan Donald is reminded of Sachin Tendulkar. The devastating style of batting along with overflowing passion reminded Sir Vivian Richards, arguably the most dangerous batsman ever, of himself. With the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar, Ian Chappell believes Virat Kohli is the batsman that every bowler fears to bowl at.

There is not one country he has played and not scored a century in. There is not one dull moment at the crease with him hogging the strike. Between the trademark effortless drives through the covers, back foot punches and mid-wicket pulls, there is not one shot he cannot play. Be it inside out over wide long-off or be it a flick to mid-on, or be it a nudge to fine leg, he has almost every shot in his book. Strong off the front and back foot, he has an exquisite batting style and an orthodox technique. Add cheetah’s legs between the wickets and a picture perfect front foot defense to that, what you get is a near perfect batsman and arguably the best in this era.

Virat Kohli

A cursory glance at his numbers will reveal his clout. A piece on Virat Kohli without his prowess in chasing is incomplete. His determination is second to none and that has made him the master of chases. Batting second, in the 75 innings, Kohli averages 63.43 at a strike rate of 92.03 with twelve centuries. However, when the equation is successful run chases, the numbers get even bigger; Kohli, with his bat, has lead India to victory 64% of times in the second innings, at an average of 84.40 and a strike rate of 95.98 while doing so.

The intimidating style of his batting, however, can be understood by taking into account what happens to the team when he has a rare failure. India has lost 45 ODI games with Virat Kohli’s name in the team sheet. Breaking it down further,

1) India lost sixteen times when he has got out for a score less than or equal to ten.

2) When he has managed to score something between 11-20, 21-30, and 31-40, India has lost 7, 3, and 4 games, respectively.

So, to conclude, his failure to score at least 41 runs equates to 66% (30 out of 45) of total losses.

So, what happened when he managed to score more than 40 in the remaining 34% (15 out of 45) of games we lost? He went on to make at least a fifty (Thirteen fifties and two centuries), thereby outscoring his teammates in twelve out of the fifteen games.

This is what Virat Kohli is. When he sets his eyes on a target, he is unstoppable. When he smashed Malinga and co., in Hobart, Sourav Ganguly said that he could hardly believe what he was watching. George Bailey wondered if there is a way to get him out when he went on to score the fastest century by an Indian.

With him having established himself as the leader of the Indian ODI batting line up, there were always a few doubts cast on his ability to bat in Tests prior to the tour of South Africa. No one answers critics as he does, this time with a 119 and 96 against the world’s best bowling attack in their backyard. He didn’t stop. Napier and Wellington were the latest to witness – what Adelaide, Colombo, Hambantota, Dhaka, Johannesburg, Hobart, Harare, Cardiff, Port of Spain, and various Indian cities did – this guy from Delhi mastering the art the batting.

Kohli has proved himself in the longer format too.

Since his debut, Virat Kolhi leads the scoring charts in ODIs. Sangakkara, who has played 8 more ODI games than him in the same period, is 61 runs behind. The next best Indian batsmen, Dhoni, is 999 runs behind. In Tests, where he is supposedly not ‘that good’, he has the most runs scored for India since his debut.

A nation that grew up idolizing batting in Sunil Manohar Gavaskar and Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is all set to witness the next superstar in Virat Kohli.

There must be something that sets him apart from millions, no?

He is talented. But as they say, having the talent is one, using it to the fullest is another. He is one of those rare ones who does. He is determined. He is a hard worker. He has a good knowledge of the game. He learns from his mistakes. More importantly, he adapts himself.

Dravid recently said how Virat sought advises from himself and Sachin Tendulkar way before the series in South Africa. Martin Crowe, who is happy to be called as a ‘Virat Kohli fan’, is proud of his former pupil who has learned to play straighter and better than what he used to in 2008.

The unfathomable commitment, that attitude of leading the team from the front and the determination to give anything and everything to the team make him what he is – a champion.