Former IPL cricketer writes: Decoding the greatness of Virat Kohli

There is no universal recipe for success. We all have it within us simply by dint of being unique, one of a kind, the result of millions of elements and transformations running from our DNA to this world. Gary Kasparov observes, “We each build our own unique formula for making decisions. The goal is to identify this formula, to evaluate its performance, and to find ways to refine it” (How Life Imitates Chess, 2007). Both Sachin and Virat cracked this code at a very young age. Like Mozart or Pascal, Sachin was a child prodigy, breaking all records in school cricket and making centuries at each of his Ranji, Duleep and Irani Trophy debuts to earn a call-up to the national side at the age of 16. Virat, too, was a phenomenal talent as a youngster. He scored truckloads of runs in age-group and domestic cricket, and on the back of his glories at the Under-19 Cricket World Cup, was fast-tracked to the Indian side on their tour to Sri Lanka. He became the 175th cricketer to don the national jersey in ODIs, and has gone on to score 13,626 runs in 277 innings at an average of 58.48.

So, what makes Kohli a modern great of the game, the GOAT of ODI batting? As a young gun, Kohli did not taste success in the same manner as Sachin. While Tendulkar’s career trajectory took off like the Chandrayan, Kohli’s was more sedate. Some runs here and there, failures in IPL, a century or two in his first few seasons defined the Kohli’s batting. Then came the 2011 World Cup. India won. Kohli’s batting contributions in that tournament are often overlooked, but he was the thread that stitched up the middle-order of the Indian team. However, what is etched in everyone’s memory is his infamous remark when asked why the Indian team carried Sachin on their shoulders on winning the trophy. He said, “Sachin has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years, it’s time we carried him on our shoulders”. Iconic!

I believe winning the Cup in 2011 and Sachin’s retirement from the game in 2013 were the triggers which compelled Kohli to take his game to the next level and fill in the void created by Sachin’s departure. He had the self-belief, discipline and motivation to change his lifestyle completely. He took inspiration from athletes like Christiano Ronaldo and Novak Djokovic to emerge as the fittest cricketer of his generation. This evolution was imperative for him to extend his international career and maximise his performance. Having played 111 Tests, 289 ODIs, 115 T20s, and 237 IPL games, one would think a cricketer would start taking it easy. But not Kohli. He still scampers for every run like his life depended on it. A tribute to the innumerable hours of training he spent in the gym and on the ground. Greatest achievements are reached by those who add a talent for hard work to other great natural abilities. Jordan – famous for his athleticism and speed – was the first to come in for practice and last to leave. Kobe Bryant’s mamba mentality was harnessed from his sheer ability to outwork all his peers. Sachin too was cut from this cloth. So is Kohli. They all knew/know how to extract that little something extra from each day, each session to keep getting better.

As a leader, Kohli instilled passion and aggression in the team. Moreover, he brought along the Darwinian philosophy into the team and ensured players exceeded the global sporting fitness levels to feature in the team. Ask a Shami or a Rahul, and they sing paeans about his work ethic, which they co-opted and are better off for. He changed the landscape of Indian cricket almost single-handedly (of course, the coaches and administrators within the BCCI would have had some role to play in acceding to his demands qua fitness levels of cricketers).

The genius of Kohli also lies in his ability to reinvent himself, almost at will, to ensure he remains at the pinnacle of batting across formats. If one were to speak to his coaches and his age-group cricket colleagues, they would wax lyrical about how his penchant for hitting hundreds is no recent phenomenon. However, after a decade into international cricket, faultlines crept into his batting technique leading to failures in England (2014) followed by a lean period from 2019 – 2022. He went three years without a century. He was still scoring runs, but not as per the lofty standards he had set for himself. Sustained success masked these faultlines. But, the law of averages finally caught on with Kohli. He took a short break from the game, spoke to his coaches and sports psychologist, Paddy Upton, and rediscovered his love for the game. He also spent some time working on his technique with Sachin (I would pay to hear this conversation) and returned with the same hunger and desire to score runs which had previously set him apart from his contemporaries. This is a tribute to his resilience and his unshakable faith in his ability to succeed under pressure. For sustained success at an elite level of professional sports, one needs to master the art of handling pressure. Kohli’s optimism and his ability to remain poised under pressure are second to none.

Kohli’s contribution to the development and reach of cricket also cannot be underplayed. A superstar of the game, his popularity transcends the boundaries of cricket-playing nations. That he is the face of cricket is indisputable. Recently, the owner of the Sacramento Kings (NBA) was seen unfurling Virat’s jersey at the basketball arena. With 260 million Instagram followers, he is second only to Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on the list of most followed sportsmen. This speaks of his global popularity. Wherever he goes, cricket travels along!

Like Sachin, India wants to witness Virat Kohli’s 50th ODI century in this World Cup itself. Better yet, I hope it comes in the semi-final, followed by another in the finals. India has a great opportunity to win the Cup, and for that, it needs its favourite son to perform.

The writer is a former captain across formats for UP. Dwivedi has represented four IPL franchises and played over 120 domestic matches for UP. He now practises law before Indian Courts