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Over the last few years, Virat Kohli has been India's master chaser. Against Sri Lanka in Ranchi, we saw him pull off another incredible run chase. In doing so, he may have confirmed his status as Indian cricket's greatest matchwinners.
On the first ball of the penultimate over in India’s chase against Sri Lanka on Sunday, Virat Kohli launched into an overpitched delivery by Ajantha Mendis, sending the ball soaring into the twinkling Ranchi skyline. As the ball landed into the stands over wide long-on, Kohli walked up to Axar Patel, who was batting at the other end, and jokingly practiced the shot again. Mahendra Singh Dhoni must have been sitting in front of his living room television just a few kilometres away and having a chuckle. Kohli’s helicopter shot may not have been as brutal as Dhoni’s, but it was only fitting that he played it on the home patch of the man who invented it.
That was not the only thing "Dhoni" about Kohli on Sunday. A couple of balls after that colossal six, the Indian stand-in-skipper ended the game with another sumptuous six down the ground in trademark Dhoni style. After India had somewhat lost their way in pursuit of Sri Lanka’s 286, Kohli went about the chase much like his captain, showing maturity and self-belief way beyond his years. The “Don’t worry, I will take you home” kind of self-belief. The kind of self-belief that has won India innumerable limited over games over the years.
Kohli now has 21 centuries in 138 one-day international innings. To put the enormity of this achievement into context, Sourav Ganguly managed 22 centuries in an ODI career that spanned 15 years and 311 matches. Along with being the fastest man to 20 ODI centuries, Kohli is also the quickest to 6,000 runs in the limited overs game. In terms of sheer numbers, Kohli is in a league of his own. So is he the greatest matchwinner Indian cricket has ever seen?
When you think of matchwinners in Indian cricket, a certain Sachin Tendulkar spontaneously springs to mind. But Kohli possesses qualities that even the great man could not boast of. Once he crossed 20 on Sunday, it was difficult to bet against him reaching the three-figure mark. Such is his brilliance, such is the sense of surety when he’s out there batting in the middle. Qualities that among his peers, can only be matched by Hashim Amla. By the time the winning punch was landed at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium, Kohli had single-handedly decimated a hapless Sri Lankan bowling attack, leading India to a 5-0 whitewash of the islanders.
Of his 22 centuries, 13 have come in successful chases. Tendulkar scored 14 centuries in successful chases during the course of his entire career. And it’s not only the numbers that are staggering, so is his style of play. It is difficult to find a batsman possessing such a wide repertoire of shots as Kohli, a batsman who can pace an innings as well as him, and most importantly, a batsman who can mix caution and aggression with such devastating effect. The Indian team has had its share of talented players in the past. Virender Sehwag could obliterate bowling attacks at will, but consistency was a major problem; Yuvraj Singh had such silky touch that he made everything look beautiful, but his poor attitude along with fitness problems led to his undoing.
Comparisons with Tendulkar are obvious, and one has to concede that the little Master’s records may never be surpassed. But Kohli is as close we can get to reproducing a Tendulkar. Tendulkar was undoubtedly the greatest batsman of his generation, but he was often criticised for not winning enough matches for India. Kohli is way ahead of his idol in that department, but then Kohli is blessed with a support cast that comprises Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma. Tendulkar, for a major part of the 1990s was a lone ranger for the Indian team, often fighting in vain.
There is no doubting that Kohli is a champion batsman at home. But he has only enjoyed moderate success abroad. The 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will be his real test. A stellar performance there, and his greatness will be confirmed. For now, let’s revel in the genius of the man.
