Virat Kohli – The fearless general, born of faith, forged in fire and baptized by blood and sweat

In a journey comes a time when the world comes to a standstill and hopes seem dim. Then comes a messiah, all set to rumble, all set to defy the odds, all set to scale insurmountable odds and bring in a new dawn. Similarly came a time in Indian cricket when Sachin Tendulkar called it a day and India was in desperate need of a superstar who would step up and fill in those massive boots.

But then filling in the boots of the Master Blaster needed more than a human. It needed a King-like character, someone with a will of steel, similar to Krypton's last son. As the clock kept on ticking, and the oppositions got spookier, already rising through the ranks, arrived India's Kal-El, Virat Kohli. An icon blessed with turnstile wrists, an athlete with fire in his eyes, storm in his heart and ice in his veins, the man knew no fear.

When MS Dhoni decided to hand over the baton in the middle of a series Down Under, the task came with unprecedented edges. In fact, it would be wise to call them full-blown jags poking from all corners of the field. India needed their new captain, Virat Kohli to step up big time. As they say that the dawn shows the day, the general leads the charge and so for India, Virat decided to pack all fears in a box and throw the it into the ocean.

It initially started off with Virat calming the nerves down and then instilling a sense of battle in the Indians whenever they were on the road. He assembled a full-blown pace unit that wouldn’t just deliver for formality but would strike fear in the hearts of the oppositions. Every wicket that his bowlers took was celebrated by him as if it’s his own. Every run saved was greeted by him in the way a general applauds his soldier for doing the unthinkable. Every partnership built was being cheered on vociferously from the dugout by him.

When your captain tends to have your back, no matter what, you know exactly what you are stepping in. Such was the confidence of Team India and that they were willing to hit powerhouses like England and South Africa in their own homes. However, no one in their wildest dreams would have imagined that India was eyeing for the ultimate prize. Defeating Australia Down Under and it simply didn’t get bigger and better than that.

It was the winter of 2018 and Team India was touring the Aussies. There were new stars in the Indian skies and youngsters imbued with spirits to go all guns blazing, no matter the repercussions. At the end of it all, Kohli and his blokes have done what would have been a pipe dream even four years ago. They had conquered Australia and that too in the latter’s backyard. The world stood in awe. India, a superpower already at home, was extending its vise to the powerhouses of the world and that too in the latter’s den.

This was possible because their captain knew no defeat. Their captain knew no surrender. He knew that he had a bowling unit that could fearlessly strike in the hearts of the opposition and leave them rudderless. Under his reign as the skipper, India forged a bowling attack that featured the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammmed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav.

Kohli managed to bring out the fire, the aggression and the hunger in the bowlers. His words, his tactics and his control over his geezers was simply a symphony in the making. He was the conductor, while the rest of the orchestra came together in perfect harmony as the world would watch in awe.

He led India in 68 Tests out of which India secured 40 wins at a percentage of 58.82. Out of the 18 captains, who have led their teams in 50 or more Tests, Kohli ranks third in the list with his win percentage, just behind Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh. The nearest Indian captain to have done the same is MS Dhoni with a win percentage of 45% from the 60 Tests in which he led his team.

India’s triumph in the 2018-19 Border Gavaskar Trophy made Virat the first Indian captain to chronicle such a feat. From the 24 matches that Virat spearheaded India’s charge in the SENA nations, he managed to win an impressive seven of them, the highest by any Indian captain with MS Dhoni and MAK Pataudi next in the line.

These numbers are a burning ode to Virat Kohli’s sheening leadership and the way he held his own, was something that would echo through the halls of history. The captain that was forged in fire, tested by thunder and baptised by hardships, emerged as the one true leader who would last no matter the repercussions. Thank you Virat Kohli for your service to the nation, always and always and always.