Virat Kohli belongs to a new generation of cricketers who carry their attitude, bordering on arrogance, on their sleeves.
With proven talent, oozing tenacity and perpetually ready for any eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation, Kohli has firmed up his place in the country's squads for limited-over versions.
A good striker of the ball and an agile fielder, who tends to be too flamboyant at times, Kohli is now giving Mahendra Singh Dhoni an outside option of using his medium pace offerings in the right conditions.
His batting abilities are surely unquestionable. He has an array of strokes to unleash. He bats to dominate. On home pitches, he looks comfortable negotiating even the rising ball! With time, he is certain to add maturity and possess the right temperament. If not, it will be unfortunate should Kohli end up as an under-achiever.
Coming of age
Kohli, who turns 23 next month, is clearly showing signs of coming of age. A little under five years ago, as a teenager, Kohli made news for an unusual reason as he saved Delhi from a possible defeat at the hands of Karnataka with a fighting 90. What made this innings carry immense recall-value was the fact that Kohli's on-field heroics came after he had lost his father.
For most, Kohli's decision to bat the next morning for Delhi's sake, to enable the team avoid the follow-on, was an example of his strength of character and complete control over emotions — something teenagers are not usually associated with. Some others looked at his decision to play on, even after such a grave personal tragedy, as a reflection of his steely resolve to pursue what he deems paramount.
Influenced to a large extent by the no-nonsense approach of seniors like Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, young Kohli did not have to try too hard to chart the course to the Indian dressing room. For the youngster, making it to the Indian team was always believable, and he did.
Having done his bit to catch the eye by leading the Indian junior team to the World Cup, and later playing a stellar role in the Emerging Players tournament, Kohli got his chance to make his ODI debut against Sri Lanka after an injury ruled out Sehwag in 2009.
Since then, at regular intervals, Kohli has benefitted from the injuries to players like Sehwag and Yuvraj to be back in the team, including the Test squad; but is yet to establish himself in the classical format.
Impactful
In the shorter versions, Kohli has clearly made an impact. Two of his seven ODI centuries have come against England in the last three appearances. The one recently at Cardiff was in a losing cause. But the one at the Ferozeshah Kotla on Monday night was an emphatic statement that went a long way in enhancing the team's self-belief.
The way Kohli carries himself on and off the field there is a growing impression that this young man is “arrogant”. He is seen in social gatherings of his choice and there are times when his flamboyance gets magnified by the preying media.
“He is aggressive on the field. But certainly not arrogant,” defended Raj Kumar Sharma, his mentor. “I like to compete hard,” was Kohli's candid reaction.
It is difficult for many people to deal with Kohli's almost overbearing sense of self-confidence, which in turn gets described as arrogance. Indeed, there have been occasions when Kohli's haughtiness or aggressiveness has backfired.
Sobering down
One hopes Kohli's gains from the sober elements of Royal Challengers, particularly from the likes of Anil Kumble. In sharp contrast to the needlessly aggressive environment of the DDCA, the KSCA may well provide a much-needed calming influence on young Kohli during the time he gets to spend there each season.
Indeed, this is time for Kohli to consolidate. He looks in good touch, his confidence is obviously high against an opposition that is in danger of losing the series at the first opportunity on Thursday.
With England grappling with questions and a not-so-formidable West Indies next on line to visit India, Kohli has chances to cash in on.
