At 34, Virat Kohli reinventing the wheel in ICC T20 World Cup
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Virat Kohli
Age is just a number and Virat Kohli has proved it. On Saturday, Down Under, the Boss Man of white ball cricket turns 34. Last year, at around this time, Kohli had a subdued birthday of sorts after the poor show at the ICC World T20 in the United Arab Emirates.That was the period he had gone through more troughs than crests after renouncing captaincy from all forms of cricket. Critics had hit him hard, some below the belt. They said Kohli had become a liability as the runs had dried up from his blade.
Kohli being a very private person kept quiet. He knew he was battling many things, some not related to performance alone. This year, in 2022, Kohli has come across as a different man. There are shades of maturity. They say, old wine mellows and tastes better when you sip it. The Kohli of 2022 has come across as vastly different, someone who is enjoying his cricket and giving expression to his feelings on the field with more freedom. He has always had that West Delhi-born boy aggro in him. Some like SMG — Sunil Manohar Gavaskar have chastised him for it. The media, too.
Heck, why on earth should we tame Kohli? A Tiger is always a Tiger. You can cage it but you cannot tame it. The same goes for King Kohli. Tiger is on the prowl this year and his prey includes top bowlers. Having re-discovered his touch in the UAE in the Asia Cup, against Afghanistan, with a century, Kohli is now a happy man.
There is a smile on his face, a glint in his eyes, and a sparkle in whatever he does. A bit like the most expensive champagne. We are getting to see that live, inside the arena, and on our TV screens. Kohli’s birthday, a day before the match against Zimbabwe, is important. Obviously, there will be cakes cut, pieces of it smeared on his face and beard and there will be hugs.
That is the impression one gets of the mood in the hotel rooms, sitting miles away from Australia. Kohli showed a new dimension when he was mentoring the vice-captain of the side before the big match against Bangladesh. Pronto, results were there to see. Rahul scored runs. Was it the Kohli touch? Yes. Then again, while in front of the cameras, Kohli is smiling more. He is interacting far more freely with fans and getting himself clicked with them. They are all over social media. Just imagine, the man who had an aura of being angry like Amitabh Bachchan in his youth, today, is so friendly.
Virat Kohli turns 34 but looks as fresh and fit as a man in youth at the ICC T20 World Cup
He has mellowed but that’s only for public perception. When he is in cricket gear, he is in beast mode. The batting style is unique. He uses his body dynamics and feet with freedom as well as strength in his upper body. At 34, he is as fit as a fiddle. All this is due to his work ethic and the diet he follows.
Someone did upset the man the other day when a hotel staffer filmed his room. Kohli was angry and expressed disgust at his privacy being intruded in Adelaide. None can disagree that Kohli deserves his space. There is a price to pay for stardom and Kohli knows he belongs not just to Anushka Sharma but to billions of cricket fans in India, Pakistan, and the world over.
Such love used to be showered on a certain Sachin Tendulkar, in a different era. No making comparisons, today Kohli is enjoying the adulation and affection. He is Tiger on the prowl. He is not going to devour cakes for sure, as his diet is such a rigid one.
Also Read: WATCH: Joshua Little grabs hattrick against New Zealand at the T20 World Cup 2022
Good luck champion, your birthday is being celebrated all over the world, already. He is ringing in a happy birthday in Australia, a country where he has played with amazing freedom bordering on fiefdom. Happy birthday, Virat.
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S Kannan
(382 Articles Published)