It's not that I always loved cricket like I do now. Somewhere around the year 2000, I used to be a kid who fights to watch cartoon network when the whole family watch cricket. I got addicted to it so much that my dad had to cut the cable connection. Now, I don't have a choice but to watch Doordarshan. I was 8 and I was watching a young man who was just around 28, yet was being called as the GOD of the sport. Dad made me watch cricket and Sachin Tendulkar made me a devotee of the religion he portrayed.
There were millions of young kids who had the same effect as mine and we all wanted to be like him. I ended up being a fan who knows how to play. But, there was another kid who is 5 years older than me and he idolized the God like we all did. He didn't stop just being a fan. He started playing cricket and give it all he had for the sport. As the kid turn 28 today, I can't help myself but to think that life is always a cycle and it has come one full circle.
Virat Kohli. Like Sachin, he has achieved so much that thinking of what more he could do fascinates me. I can hear you murmur. England. Lord's. Another two years and then we will have the answer. I believe unlike Sachin, "Virat Kohli" will be engraved on that board for sure. A T20 world cup may be. He came close twice to glory, but it has evaded him for now. Above all, what we can be sure of is that he is going to give the purest form of joy for the fascinating fan.
If you fast forward/play every six months or so from the day he made his debut, the improvement rate will be visible for you. And the good thing that happened to him was that he didn't break into the international arena as a superstar. Not many said "THE STAR HAS ARRIVED" like they did for Rohit, Unmukt and many others. He gradually made his mark by winning games, which was his ultimate motto for playing the sport. For me, 2012 Hobart was the arrival of Virat Kohli- The Star. From then on, there was no looking back!
When we see aggressive young players, we often dismiss them from the group of humble, hardworking people. If you see the way he behaves or talks about the seniors or the legends of the sport, you will know the respect he has for those who deserve it. Our coach used to tell us " You have to respect the sport, ground and the people. Ground is the purest place and if you give everything out there, it will definitely give you back more than what you put in". The success he is achieving amazes me about the amount of hard work he is putting in. He is setting the benchmark for the kids in the nations.
He is not Sachin Tendulkar. But the stature he has now, is no less to what Sachin had then. But then, may be certain things are destined. For this generation of kids Virat Kohli would be the best example to look up to for his attitude and hard work. He can influence a lot of kids. And who knows, twenty years from now, there might be a kid about whom, we will be writing in association with Virat Kohli.
Not everybody likes Virat Kohli. And it is not necessary too. Respect is the most important thing. And you have to admit that no matter whether you love him or hate him, you have to respect him. Because he has earned it. Happy Birthday Virat Kohli!
