Often we say that 'that' year defined a cricketer's career or in this case a batsman's career. With the tours of South Africa, England and Australia scheduled back-to-back, it wasn't going to be easy for any batsman let alone Virat Kohli. But how good was he across formats and across conditions? We saw the best batsman in the world at the peak of his powers dictating the terms in some of the toughest conditions for batting. Be it the masterly 153 he scored at the Supersport Park on a slow and low wicket or be it his first ever test century in England at Edgebaston or the match winning knock at Trent Bridge or a gritty ton at Perth which is one for the ages really, every one of them was special snd different in one way or the other. They say that numbers don't tell you everything but don't forget that numbers are one of the most important parameters in judging one's success. So what do Virat Kohli's numbers tell us? He was the only batsman to notch up a 1000 runs in test cricket this year, scoring 1322 runs at an average of 55 with 5 centuries and as many fifties. 'The King' also officially became the number 1 batsman in the world during the England tour. With regular failures haunting various Indian openers, Kohli was there to face the new cherry more often than not and boy, didn't he handle it well? King Kohli was at it all of the times. More than the runs he scored, the atmosphere around the stadium when Kohli was in was absolutely stunning everywhere. Virat was welcomed with a few boos here and there but understandably so because everyone knew that the best in the world had come to the crease to haunt every one of them. There was a sense of theatre and drama when Kohli hung around for a while and a lovely story unfolded everytime with every stroke that came out of Kohli's MRF. From gorgeous cover drives to the perfect on drives to some thunderous pulls, he was in command of everything he did. All of his centuries were brilliant but the two innings which I will never forget were the ones he played in Johannesburg, a fifty and a forty! Kohli won the toss and decided to bat first on a spicy one at the Wanderers with India already trailing the series 2-0. Openers departed early as usual and it wasn't easy to bat on. There was some uneven bounce and Rabada and Morkel were bowling on a shoeless outside the off stump just short of a length. Things were difficult but Kohli stamped his authority with a very elegant looking fifty which included some wonderful drives on a hard and bouncy pitch. That provided India some momentum when Pujara was going really well at 0 off 50 balls! The forty he scored in the second innings was even more impressive. The pitch gad started to go up and down but he had the courage to get his front foot forward and drill some drives through the off side. Those two innings at Jo'burg and the innings at Perth were similar in a way. Both pitches were spitting fire in the first place and Kohli was in the firing line straightway. There was some short pitched stuff on both occasions but everytime the ball was pitched up, Kohli was ready to spring on to the front foot and drive. That is what all the great players do. On a difficult wicket, a lesser batsman will see a full delivery pitched outside off stump as a delivery which can not get him out whereas players like Kohli see it as a scoring opportunity and pounce on it! But the most important thing about his test career is that he is vouching for test cricket all over the world with his enthusiasm and passion on the field, which is the need of the hour really!
What about Kohli in ODIs in 2018? He has dominated the format and has been the number one batsman for some time now. We don't even have to look at the numbers but just to get the feel of it, here are some! Over 1200 runs at a ridiculus average on 132 with 6 centuries in 14 matches. He had a very special tour of South Africa where he scored 558 runs in 6 matches including 3 centuries, all in winning courses. He also breached the 10000 run mark during the home series against the West Indies in which he scored 3 consecutive hundreds, first Indian to do so! With 38 centuries, he now stands behind only Tendulkar and the day is not far away! If Kohli in tests was full of determination and grit, Kohli in ODIs was full of class and rhythm. It seemed as if no one will ever be able to trouble him in the kind of form he was in. There is a sense of urgency in the opposition's camp when Kohli takes guard in ODIs because there isn't a better batsman around! Every bit of his innings has class written all over it. He as good as it can get in ODIs. I didn't see Sir Vivian Richards bat but from the stories of the great man, I get the feeling that Kohli has created a smililar aura of himself with a similar touch of swagger attached to it. It's going to be great fun and an honour to watch the greatest batsman of this generation do some special things in the next 4-5 years.
What about Kohli in ODIs in 2018? He has dominated the format and has been the number one batsman for some time now. We don't even have to look at the numbers but just to get the feel of it, here are some! Over 1200 runs at a ridiculus average on 132 with 6 centuries in 14 matches. He had a very special tour of South Africa where he scored 558 runs in 6 matches including 3 centuries, all in winning courses. He also breached the 10000 run mark during the home series against the West Indies in which he scored 3 consecutive hundreds, first Indian to do so! With 38 centuries, he now stands behind only Tendulkar and the day is not far away! If Kohli in tests was full of determination and grit, Kohli in ODIs was full of class and rhythm. It seemed as if no one will ever be able to trouble him in the kind of form he was in. There is a sense of urgency in the opposition's camp when Kohli takes guard in ODIs because there isn't a better batsman around! Every bit of his innings has class written all over it. He as good as it can get in ODIs. I didn't see Sir Vivian Richards bat but from the stories of the great man, I get the feeling that Kohli has created a smililar aura of himself with a similar touch of swagger attached to it. It's going to be great fun and an honour to watch the greatest batsman of this generation do some special things in the next 4-5 years.
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