VIRAT....Born in Delhi, Virat Kohli shot into prominence as the under 19 skipper who led India to victory at the 2008 World Cup held in Malaysia. That accolade gained him instant recognition and made him an overnight teen sensation. Soon he made his ODI debut for India in Sri Lanka in August 2008 when he was thrust into the openers role as both Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar were ruled out due to injuries. He played two important knocks - 37 in the 2nd ODI and 54 in the 4th - both of which resulted in India winning, thereby enabling them to win the series as well. After such an impressive showing, he was slightly unlucky to remain on the bench when England visited India in December 2008, but since Tendulkar and Sehwag had returned and the middle-order was strong and packed, Kohli did not make the starting eleven. Kohli, however, was not disappointed and he went back to the domestic scene and continued to plunder attacks playing for Delhi. When India went to Australia to compete in the 2009 Emerging Players Tournament, Kohli shone brightly as he notched up a hundred in the final against South Africa. He finished as the top run-getter in the tournament ending up with 398 runs from seven matches which included two centuries and two fifties. Due to his tremendous batting exploits India managed to win that tournament and a new batting star for India was unearthed. The season after 2009 turned to be a proving point for both Kohli and India. He got regular chances at the number 3 slot in the ODI team and he made the position his own with a string of consistent scores. He became the first Indian to score a century on World Cup debut when he smashed a ton against Bangladesh in Indias first game of the 2011 World Cup. He went on to make a few more vital contibutions - including an 83 run stand with Gambhir in the final - in Indias successful World Cup campaign. Team India didnt enjoy a great year after the World Cup but Kohlis career graph went upwards rapidly in the 2011/12 season. He made his Test debut in West Indies in July 2011 but was dropped for the England Tests that followed after he had a poor debut series. However, Kohli continued his great form in ODIs and made 194 runs from five innings including a century. His ODI success led to a Test recall for the home series against West Indies, and Kohli hasnt looked back ever since. A couple of half centuries in the final Test pushed him into the Test squad for the Australia tour which followed. Kohli failed in the first two Tests in Australia, but justified the team managements continuous support for him with a 75 in the third Test at Perth and a century - his first in Test cricket - at Adelaide. Kohli went on to make centuries against New Zealand, England and Australia when the teams visited the sub-continent in the 2012/13 season and established himself as a batting mainstay for India. While his Test career might have had its ups and downs, his ODI graph only has one direction and that is skywards. He is the fastest Indian to score 1000, 3000 and 4000 runs in ODIs and is also the fastest cricketer to score 10 ODI centuries. He was also the highest run scorer for India in ODIs for three consecutive years - 2010, 2011 and 2012 and won the ICC ODI cricketer of the year award in 2012. Kohli had a strong IPL season as the captain and led the Royal Challengers Bangalore to fifth position in the league table. He amassed 634 runs in 16 games, finishing as the third highest run-getter in IPL 6. Kohli was also one of the most consistent batsmen in the ICC Champions Trophy in June 2013 and finished as the fifth in the table of top run-scorers with 176 runs. When MS Dhoni was injured during the Zimbabwe ODI series in July 2013, Kohli was bestowed with the honour of leading the team for the remaining games. When Australia toured India in October 2013, Kohli became the fastest Indian to score a century. He achieved this feat in just 52 balls as India was successful in the second highest run chase in the history of ODI cricket. Kohli amassed 344 runs in the series at an average of 114.66 and topped the ICC Batsmen rankings. In November 2013, Kohli became the joint-fastest batsman to score 5000 runs in ODIs when he scored 86 against West Indies in the first ODI at Kochi. He achieved this feat in 114 innings equaling Sir Viv Richards record. In the second ODI, Kohli surpassed Rohit Sharma to become the leading ODI run-scorer in 2013. Kohli has a mature head on his rather young shoulders. Known to be quite an aggressive batsman, he has a sound technique, which makes him judge the length of a ball earlier than most others. He is equally adept against pace and spin, and never looks ungainly at the crease. With a penchant for using his feet against the spinners, he is known to be quite destructive when in the mood. Kohli has had high expectations placed on him from the moment he picked up a bat and has shown signs that he is well on the way to fulfilling those predictions. Kohli is one of the finest fielders in an Indian side which needs more men like him to make up for the other abysmal ones. Quick on his feet and also safe with his catching, Kohli can practically field anywhere in the park. He can also roll his arm over, with some occasional medium pace and has modelled his action on Chris Harris. Kohli was made the captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise in the Indian Premier League for the season 2013, and is also sometimes spoken of as future captaincy material for Team India. He proved his credentials right as a Test batsman on the tour of South Africa when he scored a sensational first innings hundred at Johannesburg in the first Test to bail India out of trouble and followed it up with a 96 in the second innings. He continued his good form in New Zealand as well and ended the tour on a high with an unbeaten century. When it came to the limited overs formats, no one doubted the abilities of the right-handed batsmen. Although he did not manage to score big in South Africa, Kohli was back to his usual best in New Zealand and also did well in the 2014 Asia Cup. Come the 2014 T20 WC in Bangladesh, Kohli not only stunned everyone with his array of shots, but also ended the tournament as the leading run-getter including 4 fifties. It is no wonder that Roal Challengers Bangalore decided to retain him for the 2014 IPL.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 10:06:39 +0000
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