‘One of the all-time greats’ – Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh lead cricket fraternity in wishing Virat Kohli on his 33rd birthday

It’s November 5, 2021, and Virat Kohli has turned 33! One of the finest batters, if not the finest, to have graced the game, Kohli has been nothing but a force to reckon with in his glorious career. The Indian skipper has scored a mountain of runs over the years and shattered one record after another. His appetite for runs seems to be the same. Not to forget, Kohli has proved his mettle in the leadership department as well.

Kohli first burst onto the scenes when he led India to the Under-19 World Cup. Months later, he was handed his maiden Team India cap and an era went underway. With the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, and MS Dhoni being in the ranks, it wasn’t easy for Kohli to get a place in India’s first-choice playing XI.

Virat Kohli – The formidable force born to defy the odds

However, accepting challenges and embracing them was Kohli’s forte since the very start of his career. His consistent performances were hard to ignore as a young Kohli soon became a cornerstone of India’s line-up. Interestingly, Kohli’s initial days in international cricket coincided with the fag end of Sachin Tendulkar’s career.

Hence, by the time Master Blaster retired, his successor was ready to take over the massive role. Notably, Kohli had lifted Sachin Tendulkar on his shoulders after India’s World Cup triumph in 2011. “Sachin Tendulkar has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years. It was time we carried him,” were his words at that time.

Little did anyone know that the young boy from Delhi will take his words so seriously! There was no looking back since then as Kohli played one sensational knock after another and guided India to numerous triumphs. Be it tackling the bounce in Australia or countering the swing in England, the Indian skipper rose to every challenge that came his way.

He’s also the only batter at the moment to average over 50 in all three international formats. As far as his captaincy prowess is concerned, he’s India’s most successful Test skipper. At 33, the talismanic batter still has a long way to way and it would be interesting to see how many jewels he adds to his prestigious crown.

Meanwhile, let’s look at cricket stars extended greetings to Virat Kohli