It’s the 5th of November and history has several reasons to remember this day. Some of you may be chipping in with your own editions of lost battles and foiled schemes, but for cricket fans, it is plain and simple. It is the birthday of King Kohli.

Celebrating his 36th, Virat Kohli has been the embodiment of all those raw unspoken emotions that a cricket fan has on and off the pitch. When Sachin Tendulkar stepped down, India was haunted by the most bittersweet question in the antiquity of the sport, “so, who’s next?”

The answer did start coming in patches but wasn’t clear until the search for a true leader in a jeopardized batting unit with all icons bidding farewell in very short succession, materialized. Come Australia, come Melbourne, come a nemesis called Mitchell Johnson, India found their hero, India found their blazing lodestar in the darkest of nights and when the world thought that the Men in Blue have left their heydays with Sachin Tendulkar behind, then arrived in the grandest of fashions a name that would haunt the best of them all, Virat Kohli.

From bossing the fearsome triarchy of Hazelwood, Cummins and Starc to carrying India on his own shoulders, Virat Kohli led the way. It wasn’t just the international arcade where he proliferated but he made IPL his playground in the Red and Gold threads of RCB.

The numbers need no special mention and neither do the occasions but what does deserve a shout-out is the spirit that this man ingrained the Indian team with. With the never-give-up attitude, the devil-may-care stare and looking back at his foes with a blend of all the emotions that drives a cricketer to his peak, Virat has made this a world of his own.

From the stringent work ethic to a paroxysm of idyllic raw emotions, Virat is simply all of us on the cricket field. From the highest of fitness standards to an insane transformation, Virat is simply all of our wishes manifested in a body. From being a leader in the Indian colours to being the torch-bearer of Royal excellence, Virat is us.

A new chapter of dominion followed by a glistening laurel got added to his already bedecked crown, when he stood up in Bridgetown and started battling a flurry of South African speed demons and mysterious Protean turners. With the other Indian batters going into a shell, VK fought bravely and provided the much-needed flourish with which they could fight for the crown of the world again.

Moments like these truly define the King. No matter the fall, he has always managed to get back up and fight his way forward. He has always rocked and rolled and ensured that he is battling for the crown. It hasn’t just been a war to rack up those personal milestones for him. He has always looked forward to faring well for his team and he has always managed to come out on top, no matter the mountain he is up against.

Wishing you, Virat Kohli, a very happy 36th birthday. Keep on spreading those smiles like you always have and we will always scream your name, no matter the numbers, and no matter the occasion.