Virat Kohli has been esteemed as one of the finest batsmen in the history of cricket and continues to remain an idol for more than hundreds of Indian cricket fans.
He garnered massive love as a captain and under him the Indian team marked a remarkable milestone of 30 centuries, 31 half centuries and a total of 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85 over 123 matches.
Virat Kohli made his debut as a test cricketer 2011 and went onto becoming a crucial asset earning India heaps of wins with his unsurpassed score of double 254 not out in the 13th match.
Upon reaching 36 years of age Virat Kohli had already established himself in the anchor position of India’s cricket team. Known for his unrelenting focus and indomitable will, he supported the success of India in tests alongside the Australian Steve Smith, Joe Root in England and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson under the title of “Fab Four”.
Alongside holding the title of “King Kohli”, he was fortuitous enough to partake in India’s victorious T20 World Cup final of last year, which marked his ball ache moment as it was the end of his T20 career whilst also depicting a new emphasizing beginning.
Virat Kohli walked out of T20s after winning the World Cup alongside the Captain of the team, Rohit Sharma. It is believed that they will continue playing 50 overs along with the World Cup hangover.
Virat Kohli’s recent struggles with the five-day format of the game could have influenced his decision. From 2011 to 2019, his performance was almost stellar, with an impressive average of 55, but he dropped to 32.56 in the last 24 months.
“Virat hasn’t played in a single for the sake of achievements. They came along the way as he moved ahead,” Lokapally said in an interview with AFP.
“His work ethic and skill made it something special.”
“Goals come with time, and that is something Berit picked up from legends like Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar.”
Kohli’s ‘fierce competitor’ nickname
Both local and international fans can’t get enough of Kohli, much like the love that Tendulkar received in his earlier years.
Without a doubt, Virat Kohli’s number 18 jersey is the most sought-after merchandise in India.
He wore this number as a gesture to his father Prem, who passed away on December 18, 2006, and also chose it in celebration of his ODI debut date, which is August 18, 2008.
With over 26,000 international runs and 80 hundreds in all formats combined, comparisons with Tendulkar are obvious but Lokapally disagrees.
“He doesn’t like this analogy. Identity is Sachin Tendulkar’s and he has his own. Styles are distinct,” Lokapally said.
“Sachin had to deal with some of the most ruthless bowlers ever. Virat has taken charge too,” he added.
A fierce competitor, Virat Kohli has never shied away from a battle on the field which endeared him to Indian fans, who routinely storm the field to worship their demi-god, take photos, and touch his feet.
Highlights
In what comes as no surprise to anyone, Kohli has an astounding 271 million followers on Instagram.
Kohli became India’s most successful Test captain with 40 wins and 17 losses out of 68 matches. In second best, we have Mahendra Singh Dhoni with 27 wins out of 60 and Sourav Ganguly with 21 out of 49.
He is also fabulously wealthy, topping India’s highest-paid athletes list with $33.9 million from endorsements, sports analysts Sportico stated in their 2022 list.
From 2021 Kohli’s form started to leave him and he went more than two years without a hundred. He stepped down from T20 captaincy towards the end of 2021, and was subsequently dismissed as 50-over captain.
Kohli relinquished the test form captaincy in 2022 and later opened up about his mental health struggles, including how he had been ‘snappy’ towards his wife Anushka Sharma during the dry spell of runs.
Kohli’s first hundred came after 1,020 days when he represented India in the 2022 T20 Asia Cup held in Dubai and left the captains burden behind him.
Kohli is yet to achieve one single goal after winning the one day World Cup in 2011.
He has not won the Indian Premier League title even though he has played for the RCB since the leagues inception in 2008.