The way he is scoring runs, making centuries for fun, chasing down totals with utter ease and creating one record after another, Virat Kohli seems to be batting in a parallel universe. No other batsman emanates the kind of class and comfort that Kohli exudes at the crease.
A possessed man, gaze fixed, his brain processing things faster than you can is at one end. He can out-think you. He makes you wonder if you’re in the right profession. And there you are at the other end, 22 yards away. You have your weapon, weighing 5.75 ounces. You are assessing ways to beat him. But he is a few steps ahead of you. As the bowler, the world feels sorry for you.
If this was 1998, that batsman would have been Sachin Tendulkar. But now, it’s Virat Kohli’s generation.
In India, cricket is not like any other sport. You must experience it to know it. This isn’t hyperbole. Some people do base their lives on the sport. And not many can handle the burden of carrying this nation’s hope and still perform. Virat Kohli is that one man who has been carrying the burden since long years now.
Today, the mordern era batsman scored his 40th ODI Ton. Virat Kohli became only the second man after Sachin Tendulkar to score 40 one-day international hundreds during the second ODI against Australia in Nagpur on Tuesday. Tendulkar leads the ODI hundred charts with 49 centuries.
Kohli also drew level with Tendulkar with his fouth hundred against Australia in India.
This also happens to be Virat Kohli’s second hundred against Australia this year. In Adelaide, Kohli had scored 104 as India chased down 299 against Australia in the second match of a three-ODI series.
To perform is a player. To compare is a fan. Sachin vs Kohli comparisons feature often on social media, panel discussions etc. However, all these comparisons are for mere human beings like us. Sachin and Kohli are undeterred by it. They do their business and look for improvement in every way possible. That is why, we read articles about them. They have articles written about them. But if you ask me I’d say- Sachin Tendulkar is God, but Virat Kohli is in some different league all together.
The next few years are going to be intriguing. And we only hope and wish this man, Virat Kohli all the very best.
18prajakta 