“He is over!” “He will never make a comeback!”
The comments were made. The judgements were passed.
But he stood his ground. Heard it all. Didn’t utter a word.
On Sunday, as Virat Kohli raised his bat after scoring a Test hundred after more than three years, there was a sense of satisfaction in his celebration. He didn’t fly high or run around with the bat and helmet in his hands (what was usually his way of celebrating milestones)! He just stood and smiled, probably telling all those who questioned him, “There’s more to me than you thought!”
He knew this won’t be his last ton. He didn’t want it to look like something he was waiting desperately for. He kept it simple because he knows he is not done. He never was.
King Kohli roars back to form
After emerging as the modern-day batting icon, there was a sudden dip in Virat Kohli’s form.
He wasn’t able to hit those golden three-figure marks after making it a habit. A century drought made a lot of noise.
But he made his way through. He overcame it all. Being stuck on 70 centuries for almost three years, Kohli ended the drought in December 2022.
He fired his first T20 and overall 71st international century against Afghanistan in Asia Cup 2022. That is where his revival started.
Kohli soon followed it with an ODI ton against Bangladesh at the year-end and then two more in 2023 beginning. In the fourth Test against Australia, he finally scored a Test hundred as well after November 2019.
Kohli begins 2023 with a bang
In three months of 2023 now, Kohli already has three tons: two in ODIs and one in Tests, making his overall century number 75. If he kept going the way he is currently, he could also cross one of the significant records in cricket: Sachin Tendulkar’s 100 international centuries.
And it won’t be a surprise. Virat was always meant to do what people thought could never be done. No doubt, he might have fumbled a bit for a while, but his skills, temperament, attitude and work ethic set him apart from everyone else. The real Virat Kohli is well and truly here. Look out for him.
