Virat Kohli is off to a flyer! The kid is just 23 years old but has played 8 tests and 85 ODIs, blasting his way to 11 hundreds in limited overs cricket and boasting of statistics that the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara and Stephen Waugh would have envied at his age. He's even played two World Cups, winning both, one as captain and the other as an irreplaceable player. He's the fastest to 11 hundreds in ODI cricket in terms of games played and on comparison of his stats to the great men mentioned above when they were his age, he's miles ahead. He's now the talk of the town in the World of Cricket. Many call him the 'next big thing' and say he's destined to become a legend!
Well, there's not much to disagree upon there! But nonetheless, Kohli's just come in. He's getting settled, seems to be in his comfort zone, is in the form of his life! But - let him be.
India's fanatic cricket-loving public often tend to blow things out of proportion, making mountains out of molehills and finally decrying it all when things go wrong. Kohli is fantastically well talented. He's got the intensity to make it big at the highest level. He's got commitment in bundles for his team in whatever he does. He's got the aggression that the team desperately needs in these dire circumstances.
But with great power comes great responsibility. With Rahul Dravid gone and Sachin Tendulkar growing old (yes, he's mortal), Virat Kohli shoulders the responsibility of holding together a batting line-up that represents 1.2 billion hearts. The last thing he now needs is added pressure from his followers, goading him to do some number-chasing and unfairly comparing him to great legends of the past and present.
Virat Kohli is young and is learning everyday. He's got his own troubles - a tendency to get easily frustrated when things are going awry and a loose tongue (not to mention his fingers) on the field. In short, he's hot blooded. But then, every youngster is! A youngster becomes a stalwart only when he grows out of it, depending on simple self-belief to get in top performances rather than on expletives and fiery fury.
But what makes Legends like Tendulkar, Ponting, Lara and Waugh? Is it their numbers? It certainly is. But Legends go much beyond just mere numbers. They are men who have stood the test of time and the rigors of changing tides of international cricket not for one year or two years or three years, but for over a decade and more! They are men who have played a variety of bowlers, faced a variety of oppositions in a variety of conditions over more than just one generation of players and have still come out on top. But have their careers been flawless? Certainly not! A man whose career has been flawless is not a legend. He simply hasn't played enough.
Kohli's times of tension shall come. They must come, inevitably. If they don't come, it means he's still just a 'new kid on the block'. Many talented young men like him have come and gone - causing strong ripples across the World of Cricket, just like he does today, but fading away with time, all too short-lived. Kohli must guard himself against that. His primary objective right now is to play his heart out for his country. The world must not divert him from that and push him into number-chasing. One does not set out with the intention of becoming a legend. One sets out with the intention of winning his country glory against the test of time, hence becoming a legend. But for now, Virat Kohli is an extraordinary batsman but nothing more.
Well, there's not much to disagree upon there! But nonetheless, Kohli's just come in. He's getting settled, seems to be in his comfort zone, is in the form of his life! But - let him be.
But with great power comes great responsibility. With Rahul Dravid gone and Sachin Tendulkar growing old (yes, he's mortal), Virat Kohli shoulders the responsibility of holding together a batting line-up that represents 1.2 billion hearts. The last thing he now needs is added pressure from his followers, goading him to do some number-chasing and unfairly comparing him to great legends of the past and present.
Virat Kohli is young and is learning everyday. He's got his own troubles - a tendency to get easily frustrated when things are going awry and a loose tongue (not to mention his fingers) on the field. In short, he's hot blooded. But then, every youngster is! A youngster becomes a stalwart only when he grows out of it, depending on simple self-belief to get in top performances rather than on expletives and fiery fury.
But what makes Legends like Tendulkar, Ponting, Lara and Waugh? Is it their numbers? It certainly is. But Legends go much beyond just mere numbers. They are men who have stood the test of time and the rigors of changing tides of international cricket not for one year or two years or three years, but for over a decade and more! They are men who have played a variety of bowlers, faced a variety of oppositions in a variety of conditions over more than just one generation of players and have still come out on top. But have their careers been flawless? Certainly not! A man whose career has been flawless is not a legend. He simply hasn't played enough.
Kohli's times of tension shall come. They must come, inevitably. If they don't come, it means he's still just a 'new kid on the block'. Many talented young men like him have come and gone - causing strong ripples across the World of Cricket, just like he does today, but fading away with time, all too short-lived. Kohli must guard himself against that. His primary objective right now is to play his heart out for his country. The world must not divert him from that and push him into number-chasing. One does not set out with the intention of becoming a legend. One sets out with the intention of winning his country glory against the test of time, hence becoming a legend. But for now, Virat Kohli is an extraordinary batsman but nothing more.
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