16 years of the Virat Kohli empire

16 years ago in 2008, a certain name donned the Indian jersey for the first time and before he would step in the hellish yard of international cricket, people around him would very casually throw in his name with a word of promise in its trail. But if we take a closer look at the antiquity of Indian cricket, not every promise was fulfilled, neither every star could spawn a universe surrounding it.

But then this young lad called Virat Kohli had ruffled a few feathers in the recently concluded U19 World Cup in 2008 as India lifted the trophy under his reign and he was instrumental both with the bat and that ‘right arm’ quick bowling of his.

Well, after all the talks of promise and excitement, VK got an opportunity to showcase his flair against Sri Lanka and started off on a wrong note. He could only garner 12 runs and went down on a trail that only took him deeper in the belly of the beast. However, with the subtle caress of time and tide, he managed to stay afloat in the swashbuckling waves of the sport.

Fast forward the clock by three years and India was up against Sri Lanka in the World cup final. Chasing 275, they were already staring down the barrel with Sehwag and Sachin back in the hut even before India could get the wheels rolling.

They needed a solid partnership at that point in time and with Gautam Gambhir desperately clawing to the other end, it was Virat Kohli who walked out in the middle. The young VK was up against the mighty Sri Lankan bowling mafia that comprised the likes of Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suraj Randiv and the formidable Muttiah Muralitharan.

With one unplayable ball after the other, the Indian partnership of VK and Gautam Gambhir stood tall in the middle and kept on weathering that immediate storm before finally starting to row. It took them a while but they successfully managed to steer clear of the choppy waters and did put up a fine display of grit and gumption to establish a steady partnership that provided India the much-needed reprieve in the first place while setting up a platform for the latter stages.

Wankhede had a very close glimpse of a star being born or in this instance, we would suggest the big bang of a cricketing universe. It was indeed promising. Call him the Prince if you may, back then, he was starting to take on bowlers who were leaving a trail of carnage everywhere they went. Let’s just say a certain Mitchell Johnson would leave all the batters in the world with a sense of fear and there was barely anyone willing to face the might of the Dennis Lille-esque gait towering at them at express speed.

But then worlds collide, universes burn out and Mitchell Johnson’s reign of terror met an unexpected wall of brilliance too, as he was not just stalled but was being zipped up till his very core with a pinch of love as Virat Kohli destroyed him in the former’s backyard and then blew a kiss towards him as well on a note of affection, if we may say.

Have you heard of a certain James Faulkner? Well, they said that not many all-rounders come close to this big man. And yet, when the time came, Virat asked him to shut up and bowl. Every time he obliged, Virat would very effortlessly keep on driving him to the ropes, simply underlining his arrogance, an attribute that is somewhat intravenous with the King.

In the world of sports, nicknames and titles are one thing that gets very recklessly thrown around. You can wear them like a wooden spoon around your neck if you fail to perform or you can simply don it like a garland of triumph. Kohli chose the latter with the title of Chasemaster. There would be occasions where India would be chasing scores north of 300 with consummate ease just because of this certain Virat Kohli who had already bagged another title and this time it was of the ‘King’.

There came a time, unfortunately, where everything Kohli touched, somewhat turned to ashes and the King chose to leave his crown. But then once a warrior, always a warrior, so he picked up the sword, and started fighting again. The bruises hurt, the subjects revolted and yet he kept on fighting. It took him a while.

They say when the wheel of time turns, history gets rewritten and the unexpected prevails and here was another Titan taking rebirth. Asia Cup 2022 and Virat Kohli was back to his majestic best. Shot after shot, he would effortlessly dispense without breaking a sweat as they screamed class and elegance. The conveyor belt of centuries that got stuck due to an inexplicable glitch in the matrix, started functioning very effusively too.

Come T20 World Cup 2023, the King redefined the words “Kohli goes down the ground, Kohli goes out of the ground” with his extraterrestrial stroke against Haris Rauf and the rest they say, well it’s not history. It’s just the King living his daily royalty.

Talking about royalty though, not always would the King go on an unrivalled conquering spree. There will be times when he will be challenged, he will be humbled and when you are up against a gargantuan called ‘cricket’, you will definitely have your off days. The 2024 T20 World Cup was one such war where Kohli had his mettle tested.

Though broken he continued to fight, though scarred, he continued to crawl, though questioned, he believed. It was the grandest of the stages where India was locked in an octagon of nightmares against South Africa and the stakes were through the roof. Out came gushing, Virat Kohli, two fours in the first over followed by a lull because the others couldn’t hold fort.

Kohli never stopped believing and when the iron was hot, he brought his blade down like ‘Mjolnir’ forged in the heart of ‘Nidavellir’, moulding it into his backyard. Grumbling, crawling, scarred, broken, the King kept himself alive and when he knew the time was right, he sprang like an apex predator primed to kill and what followed was the epitome of resilience and class, clubbed in the same breath.

Today marks the 16th year of Virat Kohli stepping in the international arena and we know what that means. 16 years of interminable memories, 16 years of class, 16 years of elegance and most importantly a gazillion dreams taking flight. Let us know his favourite moments that are savoured by you in the comments.