Tuesday 5 March 2019

Virat Kohli and his inhuman statistics!

Decades ago they questioned whether Sir Donald Bradman was a human or not. They actually had his eyesight checked only to know that it was just as normal as anybody else. Later Sir Don told that he used to play with the golf ball and a stick against the wall because he had nobody to play with in his childhood as he lived very far from town. May be that was the secret behind his incredible hand-eye coordination. Sachin Tendulkar has some inhuman records but nobody in India has questioned whether is a human or not because for the Indians, he is a certified God, isn't he? What about Virat Kohli then? is he a human? He walks on two legs, holds the bat with two hands and sees the ball with two eyes only but his numbers and achievements are inhuman! His impact has been second to none. I am a big fan of numbers and just to give you a perspective-
40 ODI hundreds in 216 innings
33 in winning course
24 while chasing
10 hundreds in his last 25 innings
5 in the past 12 months
These are just a few numbers which are enough to let you know what I want to! A century per 5-6 innings in test match cricket is a good ratio but a century per five and half innings in ODIs is an unreal stat. Average of almost 60 after so many games is an unprecedented number in itself. But right now, he has bigger responsibility upon his shoulders. We have seen on number of times that when India's top 3 don't fire, India generally succumbs to defeat. Dhawan is not in great form. Rohit is a great player but he even after so many years of cricket, his runs are not guaranteed. Kohli is the only player in this Indian team who can bat on any surface and make batting look easy but more importantly, take India to a respectable total. It is needless to say that he is the best player in the world and is probably the greatest to have ever played One Day Cricket. His statistics are beyond explaination. Although numbers are a very definitive parameter in judging one's success, it's the performances and what he did for the team is what everyone remembers. That is why the aura of Virat Kohli is even more special as he has produced memorable performances throughout his career. Whether it be the 183 against Pakistan or the blazing 130 in Hobart or be it any of his 24 hundreds while chasing, Virat's contribution to team's success is unmatched. Dare I say, his impact is even greater than the great Sachin Tendulkar himself and it's crystal clear that 'the day' is not far away! Let go the record 49 ODI hundreds, he might end up scoring 20 more!