Over the last year, Virat Kohli has revealed many shades of his personality.
From being a nascent talent, he is now acknowledged as the man who could shape Indian cricket's future. Add to it the propensity to swear on reaching a milestone, which also points to a 23-year old, who lets his young blood overwhelm his emotions. But lurking behind these complexities is a calm head and an enormous self-belief that helps him perform during crises.
The unbeaten 133 at Hobart and the 183 in Dhaka that shaped India's comprehensive victories over Sri Lanka and Pakistan respectively, have further built his aura.
And, on Thursday, Kohli showed that he is equally adept at handling off-field commitments like corporate forays and branding exercises. Signed up as Toyota Kirloskar's ambassador, the Indian team's vice-captain said the company's consistency was an attribute that he tried to follow on the cricket field.
Talk soon veered to the IPL, in which he is a key player for Royal Challengers Bangalore besides being its vice-captain, and Kohli said: “Last time I wanted to really prove a point as I hadn't done well before. This time I have done well so far and I am much more relaxed and really looking forward to the IPL.”
Incidentally, Kohli (557) was RCB's second-highest run-getter last season and that too after admitting his initial difficulty in getting used to the league's atmosphere after the World Cup victory.
Indian cricket subsequently lost its way in England and Australia while Kohli, who has emerged as the silver lining, would rather live in the present and said: “My immediate focus is to go out there and play good cricket. I really don't want to think about what has happened or what will happen. I concentrate on the immediate game and work hard for that. We have 16 matches and each and every game is a challenge. I want to do my best and help the team.”
When asked about Sachin Tendulkar's eligibility for the Bharat Ratna, Kohli replied: “He deserves it, he is a legend.”
