Kohli: King with no tantrums, darling of media

 “A thing of beauty is a joy forever,” said William Wordsworth once and it still holds true in all arts and forms.

If we consider batting as an art then Kohli is a master painter, probably the Picasso of batting. His stance, composure, shot-selection, aggression and determination made him one of the most flamboyant batsmen to have ever graced the game of cricket.

It was always a pleasure to watch him bat either on TV or on the ground.  I must consider myself lucky to have seen him from the close quarter since 2014, when the IPL was shifted to the UAE for the first time.

Since then, I have had the pleasure of watching him many times like 2018 Asia Cup, 2021 World Cup, 2020 IPL  2021 IPL, 2022 Asia Cup and 2024 Champions Trophy.

Having witnessed hundreds of batters as a cricket journalist from the close quarter, I must reckon there was something, which made him different from the others both on and off the field.

My first tryst with the master batsman was in 2014 during the IPL and I fell in love with his batting style. Whenever we attended a practice session at the ICC oval, he was as serious in practice as in the matches. He was always polite with the media personnel, no tantrums. He always stopped to give selfies to the fans.  

Kohli’s mercurial rise in international cricket has been a fairytale. The retirement of Sachin Tendulkar had left a void in Indian cricket.

His fans were left heart-broken as no one expected there would come a boy who would wipe out the memories of Sachin so soon from the minds of the Indian fans.

Kohli smashed his first century against Sri Lanka at Eden Garden in 2009 at the tender age of 19 years to herald his arrival on the international stage.

Nobody expected that this boy would go on to break the record of his mentor and idol Sachin one day. But, he did it and that too in fewer matches than the maestro himself.

His 50th ton came against New Zealand in 2023 in a match that Sachin himself attended in an anticipation to see the history in making.

Like all the great sportsmen, Kohli too went through a lean patch in his career. He failed to score a single century for three years across any format of the game.

But, the King was retained every time in the squad as the selectors had full trust in him that the tiger would roar back. He broke the jinx against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup on Sept.9, 2022 in Dubai. He did that in style as he scored the maiden century of T20Is.

I was fortunate to have reported that match and covered the press conference after the game in which he poured his heart out. But that was the beginning of his second stint in international cricket as he had saved the best for the future. He went on to complete fifty centuries in the ODIs.

His innings against Pakistan in the World Cup semi-final was among all-time classic knocks of T20 cricket. According to a survey, with an incredible 39% of the vote, Kohli's innings of 82* has been hailed as the best moment in the history of the men's T20 World Cup."

Chasing 160, India were in dire straits. They needed 28 runs from eight balls. It looked improbable if not impossible. One thing, one belief, which kept the Indian fans tied to their seats was Kohli’s presence on the crease.

They knew this man still could change the complexion of the game. He did. He produced another masterclass like always, which went down in the folklore of cricket as the greatest moment in the history of T20 cricket. The highlight was his stunning straight-drive six off Haris Rauf, which has since been hailed as the 'Shot of the Century' by the ICC.

Kohli’s retirement will leave a big void in the hearts of his fans and Indian cricket too as there is no replacement in sight in the near future like he filled in for the great Sachin. Though he relinquished the game, his aura will continue to be a guiding light for the millions of aspirants who dream to make it big.