A lot of cricket fans across India consider him to be a
legend in the making. He may not possess the calm
demeanour of Rahul Dravid, but his batting skills and
aggressive nature more than compensate.
Since rising through India's Under-19 team, Virat Kohli
has cemented his place in the national squad - and
experts and analysts are now placing him in the same
league as that of the country's greatest-ever player,
Sachin Tendulkar.
IBTimes UK takes a look at the player who many now
believe is the best player in the world.
A hard-hitter of the ball and a passionate cricketer,
Kohli grew up in Delhi and embarked on his first steps
to fame by guiding his India U-19 side to victory in the
ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup at Malaysia in March 2008.
The achievement threw spotlight on the young lad, who
was called upon to make his ODI debut just five months
later. He was also handpicked by Royal Challengers
Bangalore during the inaugural IPL season in 2008 and
in the years that followed he has become the face of the
two-time runners-up.
The right-hander, who prefers to bat at number three,
has achieved a number of milestones and records in the
last few years, particularly in one-day cricket. He
currently shares the number one spot in the ICC player
rankings with AB de Villiers of South Africa, with a
rating of 872 in the abbreviated form of the game.
The South African wicketkeeper-batsman dethroned the
Indian as the best player in the 50-over format in
December last year. But Kohli returned to the coveted
number one spot after his performances in the ongoing
series against New Zealand.
The entire nation will fondly remember his knock of his
personal best of 183 against arch-rivals Pakistan in the
Asia Cup in 2012. Kohli's heroics helped India produce
their highest ever run chase of 330 in the 50-over
format.
Despite his relatively slight frame, Kohli is more than
capable of clearing the ropes and this natural power,
combined with the velvet touch of his strokesplay, is a
potent combination in the one-day game. Kohli currently
holds the record for India's fastest-ever century,
compiled in just 52 balls against Australia in October
last year.
He is also the fastest player in the history of cricket to
reach the 5000 run milestone in just 120 matches
surpassing the great, Sir Vivian Richards who needed six
matches more.
Kohli's accolades include the ICC ODI Player of the Year
and the People's Choice Awards for Favourite
Sportsperson of the Year in 2012, followed by the Arjuna
Award last year for his outstanding achievements in
sports at the national level.
In case you're not already convinced [or dizzy with
statistics] he is also the quickest Indian cricketer to
reach the milestone of 1000, 3000 and 4000 runs, the
fastest player to reach 10 and 15 centuries in ODIs, and
the first Indian batsman to score the most ODI runs in
every calendar year since 2010.
And, of course, the team awards have flowed. Kohli
played in 2011 World Cup final, sharing a crucial 81-run
stand with Tendulkar to help his team to victory. And in
2013 he played a key role in India's Champions Trophy
triumph, finishing fifth on the list of leading run scorers
and top-scoring in the final with a wonderfully inventive
43 off 34 balls in soggy conditions.
In test cricket Kohli's progress has been more sedate, an
average of 44.32 and a return of five centuries in just 22
matches hints at the potential for greatness. In an Indian
line-up shorn of its trio of batting legends [Dravid,
Tendulkar and VVS Laxman], Kohli is already showing
the cussedness and composure to fill the breach.
His effortless 119 in the recent drawn test against South
Africa, made against the world's best attack on a spicy
wicket, demonstrated the kaleidoscopic range of his
capabilities. With India losing wickets, Kohli knuckled
down and waited for the bad balls, before opening up
later in the innings to shepherd his team to a
competitive total. Tendulkar would have been proud.
So we already know that Kohli is one of the best players
in the world. That much has been proved beyond doubt.
The question now facing us is: is he currently the best?
Given the rate at which Kohli has been learning from his
compatriots and evolving, putting in resolute shifts on
the field, active and vocal in making decisions and
imparting instructions, one cannot deny that he has
matured and continues to blossom into a batting
bedrock.
Is there anyone better in world cricket? The recent Ashes
series showed that neither England nor Australia
posseses much in the way of world-class batting talent,
apart from Michael Clarke - and even his talent is often
shackled by a dicky back. Hashim Amla, a perennial
contender for the title of world's no.1 batsman, had a
rotten time during the recent South Africa-India series,
while the ageless Sri Lankans Mahela Jayawardene and
Kumar Sangakkara have played little test cricket of late.
Perhaps we will get a better idea of Kohli's standing
when India visit England this summer. In alien
conditions against a team which will be desperate to
bounce back from its Ashes humiliation (and no doubt
infused with a new battery of hungry fast bowlers) Kohli
will have the perfect chance to prove his credentials.
Wickets usually tumble early on in England, so Kohli will
be expected to play long, match-defining, even career-
defining innings.
Tendulkar took the first step on his journey to greatness
by scoring his first test hundred in England, nearly a
quarter of a century ago. If Kohli flourishes in the same
conditions, he could complete his own journey to the
top of the world.
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