The King at 100: The metamorphosis of Virat Kohli from ‘ just another talented cricketer’ to an all time great

So, here we are then. Almost 11 years after he first wore the whites for India, Virat Kohli will walk out on 4th March 2022 in his 100th Test match. Featuring in 100 Test matches is an achievement that a player can be proud of.

But for Kohli, this is one of the many jewels in his already glittering crown. Kohli is already the batter with the most Test double hundreds for India, he is inching towards 8000 Test runs, he has already plundered 27 centuries, and even if he were to walk into the sunset today, he would do so as an all-time great.

But then, greatness in sport, as in life, is in the journey. Yes, the destination is crucial but it is the journey that makes the travel to the destination worthwhile. Let us now travel to June 2011, when a 23-year-old Kohli walked out, twirling the bat in his hand for the first time in Test cricket.

A ‘not so promising’ start

Virat Kohli’s first innings in Test cricket lasted a mere 10 deliveries. The right-hander contributed just 4 runs to the Indian total, and was dismissed by Fidel Edwards. In fact, Kohli’s first 13 visits to the crease in Test cricket yielded him just 353 runs, and he averaged an ordinary 27.15 and had no century to boast about.

And, if a youngster wanted to cement his place in the Indian middle-order in 2012, that boasted of names like Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, and VVS Laxman, it was imperative that he steps up and performs. And that is exactly what happened in Adelaide in 2012. India were already battered in the series and were 0-3 down. The famed Indian middle-order had crumbled, and Australia were all over India.

The ton that signaled the sign of things to come

And, having already surrendered the series, the then MS Dhoni-led outfit came into the 4th Test with its back against the wall. Australia posted a mammoth total of 604/7 in their first innings, and Kohli walked in with India reeling at 87/4. The youngster came in and took on the Aussie bowling attack. Kohli played impeccable flicks, pull shots and delectable drives through his masterly innings, and scored his maiden Test ton. Even though India lost the Test match and were drubbed 0-4 in the series, Kohli’s mastery with the willow stood out.

And after that, it seemed as if India had found their next batting star. In his next 27 innings, the right-handed Kohli plundered 5 more hundreds. Kohli had started 2012 with his career Test average reading 22.44, and by the end of February 2014, his average had doubled to 46.51. By then, the youngster had become a superstar in the making and had scored hundreds in Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand. Moreover, Kohli was even earmarked as the successor to the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.

And it all comes crashing down!

So, Virat Kohli went to England in 2014 with a lot riding on his shoulders. He had emerged as India’s batting talisman and had inherited the coveted No.4 position in India’s batting lineup that was earlier occupied by Sachin Tendulkar. But then, everything came tumbling down in England. Bowling great James Anderson caused a plethora of problems for Kohli, and the right-hander was all at sea.

Over the course of 10 innings in that series, Kohli scored a meager 134 runs and averaged a poor 13.40. He could not even score a single fifty and recorded 2 ducks as well. Kohli’s career suddenly hit an all-time low.

The crescendo that followed the rough ride

And, after the England series, India went to Australia, a place that is surely not the easiest to play for an Indian batter, especially when he is out of form. But then, Kohli took on the challenge and treated fire with fire. The way he took on Mitchell Johnson in that series, scoring 4 centuries in 4 Test matches is now a part of Indian cricketing folklore. 692 runs in 8 innings at an average of 86.50, and within the course of a few months, Kohli had become the poster boy of world cricket.

And, this is what great players are made of. This is what separates them from the rest, the ability to bounce back from a setback, and the ability to fight the battle.

The Kohli legend reaches gigantic proportions

And from there on, there was just no looking back for Kohli. From 2015 till the end of 2019, Kohli plundered 4848 runs in the whites, averaged 62.15, scored 18 hundreds and 7 double hundreds. It was a phase when nothing could stop him, a phase where he reached a stratosphere very few batters have reached in their careers.

It was a phase where the world seemed to be at his feet and a phase where bowlers shuddered while bowling to him. And in these 5 years, Kohli showed what a batter can achieve if he puts his heart and soul into what he does.

The transition from a talented cricketer to an all-time great

Yes from 2020, the ride has been a rough one for Kohli. Sport is a great leveller. From January 2020 till now, Kohli has not crossed the three-figure mark even once, has averaged just 28.14, and has looked a pale shadow of his former self. Sport is fickle. It is transient.

But then, whatever happens from here on, one thing is engraved in stone. Virat Kohli is already an all-time great and there is no questioning it. He has already surpassed several peaks and scaled new ones too. And, over the course of a decade, the world has seen the transformation of ‘just another’ talented cricketer into a batter who is venerated by the masses.

And, when Kohli walks out onto the field on 4th March 2022, he would have reached a place only a select few Indian players have reached in the past. A 100 Test appearances for India. And yes, the crowd (at 50% capacity) will be present to cheer their idol on, as he adds another glorious chapter to his story.

The Kohli saga has been a riveting one. It has been a tale that fans will remember for posterity and a tale that has inspired millions in a country where cricket is a religion. And, irrespective of what happens in Kohli’s milestone match, it will be an occasion that all those who witness it will treasure. For, Kohli is a once in a generation cricketer, and belongs to a rare breed of sportsmen who do not come visiting often!