MUMBAI: Bruised finger, bouncy pitches, seven stitches — nothing can stop India cricketer Virat Kohli. Commentators have run out of adjectives and superlatives to describe his recent exploits; four hundreds in a single IPL season, including one within 15 overs. He is making superman’s job look easy.

“I might need seven-eight stitches. I don’t mind 10 stitches on my hand if we win the next two matches,” he told reporters after steering Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to victory against Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday.

Despite flaunting names like Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Kohli – RCB is yet to lay their hands on the IPL trophy. Before the script looked like taking the same shape like every year, the fight became Kohli versus eleven from the opponent team.



Every fixture, must-win for RCB after losing few matches in the middle of the tournament, saw Kohli taking his individual game to a different level.

Within two days after the comment on the stitches, he smashed another ton, against Kings XI Punjab. The pain apparently vanished after he found his mojo.

“I was not willing to look at the scoreboard, I felt I could hit every ball for a four or a six,” said Kohli after the match-winning 113 off 50 balls. Earlier, he scored an unbeaten 100 (against Gujarat Lions), 108 not out (against Rising Pune Supergiants) and a 109 (against Gujarat Lions).

So, what makes Kohli special?

He doesn’t need an excuse to perform poorly. When he clicks, the team – in most occasions – wins and even if he doesn’t, he pulls off an exceptional run chase in the next game.

He loves chasing, like a leopard after deer. His sprint between the wicket is a replica of Usain Bolt’s mini laps. Kohli is a machine that never runs out of oil, he is a gangster who dismisses sweat bullets with poise.

In short, Kohli — in his eight-year career — won more matches for his team than his contemporaries.

Australian opener Aaron Finch, another destructive force in world cricket, tweeted after his IPL tons: “Dear Virat Kohli, can you please stop making batting look so easy, it's embarrassing for most other batters in the world. Thank you.”

‘Virat’ in his mother tongue means enormous and his flourishing statistics live up to that. He has been in the thick of things since 2008 but his graph took a quantum leap since the duel with Mitchell Johnson Down Under in 2014. He led the side on a foreign soil, scored hundreds like a boss, making a Delhi out of Adelaide.

The Australians, known for sledging, didn’t spare the brat. On one occasion, Johnson hit him on his body with a cunning intent, he said he aimed at the stumps. Kohli went down, but his ardour escalated.

“I don’t have any reason to respect Johnson,” bold enough to admit. No other India cricketer in the past dismissed an Australian speedster to this extent.

Decades back, Don Bradman ruled but a new dawn reflected on Indian cricket since his twin ton in Adelaide (115, 141), following it up in Melbourne (169) and Sydney (147).

He is 27 but he already has 36 international centuries (25 in ODI cricket) under his belt.

However, 2015 brought a whirlwind; world came to standstill when Kohli held the willow – drove, cut, pulled and jumped in ecstasy winning matches, one after the other.

Kohli announced his arrival in T20 cricket with his mastery of shots, presence of mind and a Global Positioning System alias GPS set in his head. He exactly knew where the fielders were placed.

His scores - 90 not out, 59 not out, 50, 7, 49, 56 not out, 41 not out, 23, 55 not out, 24, 82 not out, 89 not out, 75, 79, 33, 80, 100 not out, 14, 52, 108 not out, 20, 7, 109, 75 not & 113 – which is 1,1490 runs at an average of 99.33 underlines the effort.

When Mohammad Amir gave India jitters in the Asia Cup, he calmly rescued the team from the dungeon of swing and pace.

Rain threatened the India and Pakistan match in the ICC World Twenty20, but Kohli ensured the spectators had a reason to cheer; India – after losing Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina – looked shaky before the man got his act together.

But the match of the season, for India, remains the one against Australia when he sent Nathan Coulter-Nile for a leather hunt in the 19th over. He hit four fours, after snatching two fours and a six off James Faulkner in the 18th, to take India home.

Kohli remained not out on 82 off 51 balls.

"Earliest memories of watching cricket on TV were Sachin Tendulkar’s innings in Sharjah and other matches where he won games for India single-handedly. From idolising Sachin, to then playing with him for the Indian team, I could not believe what was happening,” Kohli said in one of his interviews.

But today, the world is comparing him with the legend.

“Honestly I feel embarrassed. It is unfair and Sachin can't be compared with anyone. Comparisons are not valid from my end. I have looked up to him but want to be myself and definitely draw inspiration from him. He is two levels above any player. Sachin was born with talent and I had to work for it,” he said to India Today recently.

“It feels funny because as a kid I just wanted to see him in person. Today I can message him at any point, and I know he will help me out with any thing I want in life,” he had commented in the earlier interview.

Tendulkar blossomed in all parts of the world. Kohli can adapt, attack and pace his innings but during the reign of Tendulkar, there were bowlers like Wasim Akram and Allan Donald. India went to Pakistan, Sharjah to face them.

On the other hand, Kohli is yet to unleash his demons in England. Cricket unfortunately stopped in Pakistan due to political tension.

“I told Dan (Daniel Vettori) that I could hit all Tim Southee’s deliveries in the first over for sixes,” he said after the IPL match against Mumbai Indians. No batsman in world cricket, till date, have had the courage to speak about his inner intentions so openly.

Records set by legends are precious but, in danger, when a batsman of Kohli’s calibre rules the roost consistently in world cricket.

His aggression is a shadow of Sourav Ganguly, elegance that of Tendulkar and hand-eye coordination like Virender Sehwag, he sets up his innings like Dravid. India became a force to reckon with under these gentlemen; imagine all of them functioning in one body.

The body which inspires senior cricketers like Harbhajan Singh to hit the gym. Kohli’s discipline and fitness took him to an all new level.

Kohli’s rise is certainly not a good sign for the bowlers who are about to start their careers. After all, no fast bowler, while trying to sledge, will like to hear: “No point, I have smashed you enough in my life.”

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