August 18 marks the One Day International debut of star Indian cricketer Virat Kohli. We take a look at the traits that make him special.
Bengaluru: Tons of runs in international cricket and an attitude that perfectly fits into the framework of what’s called chutzpah.
Yes, it is Virat Kohli that we are talking about. The current captain of the Indian cricket team in all the three formats, made his ODI debut exactly 11 years ago, on August 18, 2008 against Sri Lanka in Dambulla. At that point in time, though everyone knew he was talented, none dared to even think that as years rolled by, he would give Sachin Tendulkar, a run for his money.
On that day, against Sri Lanka, Kohli scored a paltry 12 runs, but today, he has amassed and plundered runs at will, on the way to becoming one of the greats of Indian cricket.
Time was when people would think and even feel a little distraught on the issue of who would succeed the Tendulkars or the Dravids. But now, with Virat at the helm of affairs, their question has been aptly answered.
To his credit, Virat Kohli has 43 ODI hundreds, just 6 behind the master blaster. It’s just a matter of time that Virat will surpass the great’s record.
Shyam Ponnappa, a former Karnataka Ranji cricketer says, “His hunger for runs, how he builds his innings irrespective of the situation and his passion for fitness, have transformed himself from a talented batsman to a world beater.”
The former cricketer adds, “His appetite for runs is phenomenal. Every innings, he starts in the same way. Even when he is in form, he ensures the first 15-20 balls are used to read the situation. He has set game plans against each bowler of the opposition. Interestingly, he relies on hard running rather than 4s and 6s.”
However, in spite of being blessed with all these traits, the charismatic batsman does have his share of foibles, which interestingly, Sachin was also pointed fingers at:
The former Ranji cricketer points out thus: “He has not clicked when it matters the most. Be it the 2015 World Cup semi-final against Australia or the 2017 Champions Trophy final against Pakistan or the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, he has not delivered. No doubt, he has been a king of the bilateral series, but he is yet to deliver during crunch moments.”
Read Exclusive COVID-19 Coronavirus News updates, at MyNation.