ICC T20 World Cup 2012: 'Virat Shining'

Ankit Banerjee

`We breathe while he bats`, a cricket enthusiast wrote on twitter. We are talking about the most eligible bachelor of the country, Virat Kohli. The 23-year old from Delhi saw a vulnerable Indian side home, against arch-rivals Pakistan. Virat scored an unbeaten 78 off 61 balls in front of a full house. The ICC ODI Player of the Year 2012, is for sure going through a purple patch and has emerged as India`s run machine. Deadly Virat, is a true bad boy and you can easily pick a fight with him if you want. He will first abuse you, then bend his left knee, elbows raised, and caress you to the cover boundary. And at the end of the day, he will apologise for dragging your family into this. The first time I met him was in the studios of `Aap Ki Adalat`, he came across as a `charming rowdy`(well I used the term `rowdy` because of his, I care about nothing attitude). He looked like the ultimate `Rockstar`, and I couldn`t resist myself from asking him out, I actually said and I quote, "Agar main ladki hota to pakka aapko propose karta". That is exactly how important he is to our nation that we just don`t want to lose him. Cricket is originally the gentleman`s game, and ‘gentlemanism’ is what we expect from cricketers, but `NO MORE`. His Delhi brashness has been accepted globally and has given Indians a food for thought. AGGRESSION, PASSION, BRUTAL, FINESSE, CLASS are a few adjectives which will throw light on the person Virat Kohli. Kohli captained the victorious Indian team at the 2008 U/19 Cricket World Cup held in Malaysia. He was also praised for making several tactical bowling changes during the tournament. He was also roped in by Vijay Malliya`s Royal Challengers Bangalore and has been instrumental in the ascendency of RCB in the IPL. Kohli’s trigger moment came in the Test series in Australia but even before that he had cruised through ODI cricket on the back of his consistency. Today, Kohli is surely India`s tomorrow. His temperament reminds one of Sachin’s of the 1990s. At number three, he is surely India`s most prolific run-getter and a definite match-winner. This 23-year-old is like H2O (Water), can adapt anywhere. He possesses the unique quality of reading situations to perfection, and that is what makes him a ‘stand out’ performer. The ability to mix caution with aggression is his biggest strength. Lethal Malinga also gets nightmares thinking of him. Sunday's performance at the World stage again illuminates the fact that his graph is on the ascend. At times it seems like the term failure doesn’t exist in his dictionary. Possibly he is the sort with whom we associate the term ‘COMPLETE’ in cricket. His confident strides, the swagger at the crease and his livewire like mechanisms on the field makes him the ‘thorn’ in the oppositions’ minds. His stature in International cricket is growing and that should send a big warning to all his opponents.