India’s Virat Kohli scored his 49th ODI century equals Tendulkar’s record, he was called a ‘bad boy’ due to his aggressive attitude but Virat has now carved a unique place for himself in the hearts of not only Indian fans but cricket fans all over the world.
You must have seen Virat’s name on the jersey of almost everyone present in the stadium during Indian cricket team matches. The number 18 can be seen on the blue jerseys of most fans in the stadium for the 2023 World Cup matches.
This is enough to understand the value of Virat Kohli in the world of Indian cricket. Not everyone is lucky enough to receive so much love and have such a large number of fans.
As soon as Sachin Tendulkar came, the stadium would erupt with applause, people were crazy about Tendulkar.
Now it seems that Virat has carried forward Sachin’s legacy.
Yesterday, Virat Kohli completed his 49th century in the World Cup match against South Africa and became the first batsman to break Sachin Tendulkar’s record.
He equaled this record in just 277 ODI matches while Sachin made this record in 442 matches.
Almost a decade ago, Sachin Tendulkar himself had predicted in March 2012 that Virat would continue the tradition.
It was a special event organized by industrialist Mukesh Ambani in honor of Sachin’s 100th century in international cricket. Famous actor Salman Khan asked Sachin who will break his century record.
In response, Sachin named Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. At the time, this answer surprised many people.
However, in the last decade, Virat has really achieved this feat and is very close to surpassing Sachin’s record of centuries.
Once he was called a ‘bad boy’ due to his aggressive attitude but Virat has now carved a unique place for himself in the hearts of not only Indian fans but cricket fans all over the world.
Cricket Ambassador
The International Olympic Committee meeting in Mumbai has taken a historic decision to include cricket in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and Virat’s example was cited to support the decision.
Former Olympian and 2028 Paralympic Games Director Niccolò Campriani had this to say about cricket’s popularity: “Today, Virat Kohli is the third most popular athlete on social media. He has around 340 million followers.
In this way, ‘Brand Kohli’ is also benefiting the world of cricket, but achieving this success was not so easy. He had to face many things in this journey.
Hard work, pressure of high expectations, pressure to perform consistently, and of course mental toughness were all part of his journey.
When Virat played even after his father’s death
It was in 2006 that Virat Kohli’s nerve was known. Virat’s father Prem Kohli suffered a heart attack. He was on his deathbed at that time. Virat was only 17 years old at that time and was playing Ranji cricket for the Delhi team.
In the Ranji match against Karnataka at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, Virat remained not out till the end of the second day. Late at night, Prem Kohli had trouble breathing and died suddenly in the early morning. Virat lost his father that day.
It was a big blow for Virat as his father also played a major role in his cricketing journey. Suddenly he left the world and at that time Virat was not even there to say goodbye to him but Virat remained strong even then.
In the morning, he called Delhi coach Chetan Sharma, informed him of what had happened and expressed his desire to complete his innings. He went to the stadium even after the death of his father, but when he met his teammates there, he cried, but then he wiped his tears and walked towards the field. He scored 90 runs that day.
Virat’s amazing courage and dedication during this difficult time surprised even his rivals and after completing his innings, he attended his father’s last rites.
Virat’s mother Saroj had said in an interview that ‘Virat suddenly became wiser that night.’
He had to shoulder all the household responsibilities with his elder brother Vikas. Virat never looked back after that.
How did Virat get the name ‘Chico’?
Once during a match between India and England, Mahendra Singh Dhoni affectionately called Virat Kohli ‘Chico’ on the field while keeping wicket. After that, he became ‘Chico’ to the world as well.
Also, when Virat started playing Ranji cricket for Delhi at a very young age, he had to be very careful with his hair.
He kept his hair very short. At that time, his cheeks were also round like children, due to which he looked completely innocent and cute.
Seeing him, one of the coaches of the Delhi team reminded him of the character of a rabbit named Chico from the famous children’s comic book ‘Champak’.
He himself used to call Virat as Chico.
Victory in the U-19 World Cup and entry into Team India
In February 2008, India led by Virat Kohli won the Under-19 World Cup held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Even as an under-19 cricketer, Virat showed his commitment to the game. In the next six months, he made his place in the Indian national cricket team.
During the 2008 tour of Sri Lanka due to injuries to Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, Virat got a place in the Indian team. He made his debut in the ODI series where he scored his half-century.
In 2010, Virat was selected in the squad for the T20 match against Zimbabwe in Harare.
In the year 2011, he won his place in the Test cricket team along with the tour of West Indies. Virat was part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team in the Indian Premier League (IPL) from the inaugural season of the league.
Virat’s consistency in his game and penchant for scoring runs has put him on par with Sachin Tendulkar. Virat is often seen as the next ‘Sachin’ in world cricket and has been mentored by Sachin Tendulkar himself.
It was Virat who carried Sachin on his shoulders and walked around the stadium after winning the 2011 World Cup final.
Virat’s relentless hard work, courage, and determination took him to the heights of the game.
The 2011–12 series in Australia, though Team India lost badly, was notable for Virat as he scored his maiden Test century during the same series, which proved to be a milestone in his career.
While his fellow batsmen were losing their wickets one by one, Virat stayed on the field and completed the century with the help of his distinctive shots.
Even big players like Tendulkar, Dravid, and Gautam Gambhir could not put up any special performance that day. In this century, the beginning of the ‘Virat era’ was announced in Indian cricket.
A new generation of attacking players
During Australia’s tour of India in 2011-12, Virat Kohli’s aggressive style and flamboyance were the talk of the town.
They were not afraid of the aggressive style of the Australian players and they also adopted an aggressive style towards the Australian players. Virat remained steadfast even when facing Australia’s famous attacking players.
A new generation of fearless Indian players appeared in the next cricket series in Australia. There was an incident during the 2014-15 tour where Virat collided with Mitchell Johnson on the field, after which the umpire had to intervene.
For many, it was the new face of Indian cricket
Indeed, the transformation of international cricket became evident with the introduction of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Twenty20 cricket format, which proved effective with Virat’s entry into the international cricket scene.
Virat not only became the representative of Indian cricket but also represented the new generation of the country, who were dreaming high like him with their self-confidence.
His aggressive and sometimes harsh nature also got him into trouble on several occasions. At that time, many people did not like his words and arrogant attitude.
But his strong commitment to a ‘better game’ was not only loved by young Indian fans but also felt threatened by youngsters around the world.
Along with this, often his teammates including the then captain MS Dhoni praised Virat for his hard work and dedication.
Virat Kohli’s work style and humility are often praised by his teammate Mahendra Singh Dhoni and others.
His dedication to hard work and ‘play with passion’ attitude impressed Australian cricket fans as well as increased his popularity among the Australian public.
His fan list extends beyond India, with even some Pakistani fans admiring Virat’s determination and style of play.
Fans must remember a video from the West Indies tour when in July 2023, during Team India’s tour of Trinidad, West Indies wicketkeeper Joshua de Silva’s mother met Virat.
