Virat Kohli gets set to bat on Day three of the third Test match between Australia and India.
© AFP
Virat Kohli has made the journey from talented youngster to batting mainstay very quickly. His career best 169 on Day 3 of the MCG Test was his third century of the current Test series Down Under and another example of the 26 year old's incredible natural batting talent. Day 3 report | Scorecard | Highlights )
In fact, former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has told NDTV that the next era could well be dominated by the 26-year-old. "Kohli already has got 21 hundreds in ODI cricket and at the Test level, he has got nine hundreds and he is only 26 years old, so the sky is the limit as far as Virat is concerned," he said. "Just look at how he has changed over the years in the kind of celebrations he has now. Just raising the bat, looking at the sky, acknowledging the almighty's presence. There has been a change in him, he has calmed himself." (Read: How Virat Kohli survived Mitchell Johnson's verbal onslaught )
Gavaskar also explained why staying being calm can further help Kohli. "I believe honestly as a batsman, if he calms himself a bit more without losing the aggression as far as the attitude of taking on the bowlers is concerned, he is not just going to score hundreds but also double and triple hundreds and that will only be to India's benefit."
There are two facets to Kohli the cricketer. One is his aggressive temperament. He is not one to back down, one who in his own words comes into his own when there's an on-field argument. And then there's the other facet, the God given natural cricketing talent, backed by incredible consistency. Can the two co-exist? If 30 international centuries in 7 years is anything to go by, then the answer probably is yes. Gavaskar feels "It's up to each individual how to take the verbal banter, some ignore it, some like to get involved, Kohli likes to get involved, he got a hundred on Sunday so that's fine." (Also read: Dhoni has struggled as Test captain, Kohli is the future, says Ganguly )
India's tour of England earlier this year was a horror series for Kohli. He scored 134 runs in 10 innings, at an average of less than 14. One thing that helped the talented youngster get back on track was some advice from Sachin Tendulkar. Gavaskar told NDTV " After the tour of England Kohli flew down from Delhi to speak to Sachin and spend valuable time with him, picking Sachin's brains on how to go about things"
When Kohli was just a few years old in international cricket someone had asked the question, can this young man be the next Sachin? It's a question that will be quickly dismissed by most experts even now. But don't be surprised if that same question is asked by someone, somewhere very soon again.
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