Next Virat, We Await The Master
Sportstar|February 20, 2016

Virat Kohli played cricket as if the world were his oyster, and now it genuinely is. Leading batsman in three formats, soon to be captain in all three.​ It is a good place to be in your 20s. The pupil to teacher phase is over. We await the master.

Suresh Menon
Next Virat, We Await The Master

There are few public figures who actually evolve in public. Politicians usually arrive as miniature versions of their future selves, actors have their personae airbrushed by PR people. Even sportsmen rarely wear their hearts on their sleeve despite the passion for what they do. The growing up takes place off-stage.

But Virat Kohli has gone from brash youngster to mature man of the world before our eyes, sharing with us every twist and turn on the journey. In his teens, a nation rejoiced in the triumph of the captain who led India to an Under-19 world title; in his early 20s he became the bad boy of Indian cricket, and a nation either shared his frustration as performance fell short of promise or turned moral police pointing to his rebellious manner. While you could bring home to your grandmother the preceding generation of the Tendulkars, Dravids, Kumbles and Laxmans, you needed to protect your grandmother from this young communicator who cursed like a sailor.

Then came the centuries in Australia and South Africa, Test captaincy, the ease with which he wore the mantle as the side’s best batsman and all was forgiven. From someone who embarrassed a generation with over-the-top aggression to one who makes the whole nation proud, Kohli has travelled well, taking us along on his route, confiding in us, assuring us that he is that rare creature: a fabulous performer who cares for his sport.

At 27, he is in the middle phase of a career that in some respects promises to be more glittering, more impactful, certainly more talked about than those of his great predecessors of the Sachin Tendulkar era. After Tendulkar had been caught at slip in his last Test innings in his 200th Test, Kohli drove the next delivery from Narsingh Deonarine to the boundary. The symbolism was almost Bollywoodean in its obviousness: the king is dead, long live the king.

Esta historia es de la edición February 20, 2016 de Sportstar.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición February 20, 2016 de Sportstar.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE SPORTSTARVer todo
Tokyo Marathon Cancelled For Amateurs On Coronavirus Fears
Sportstar

Tokyo Marathon Cancelled For Amateurs On Coronavirus Fears

Organisers in Japan cancelled the amateur portion of the Tokyo marathon, affecting around 38,000 runners, on fears about the spread of the new coronavirus in Japan.

time-read
1 min  |
March 21, 2020
Right Criteria To Pick The Tennis GOAT
Sportstar

Right Criteria To Pick The Tennis GOAT

What should the criteria be? What weight should be attached to each criterion? And what should not be considered as valid criteria?

time-read
10+ minutos  |
February 8, 2020
The making of a batting behemoth
Sportstar

The making of a batting behemoth

If Steve Smith dominated the Ashes in England in a dramatic, blockbuster fashion then his like for like a replacement, Marnus Labuschagne, is the Next Big Thing after an exciting summer of run-glut.

time-read
4 minutos  |
February 8, 2020
WHEN ACES WERE REWARDED...
Sportstar

WHEN ACES WERE REWARDED...

It was an evening of nostalgia and celebration when the Sportstar Aces awards were given away in Mumbai.

time-read
6 minutos  |
February 8, 2020
A question of recognition
Sportstar

A question of recognition

After a week of awards, one wonders if it’s only a departed player that one will be named after.

time-read
2 minutos  |
February 8, 2020
Thinking straight, thinking right!
Sportstar

Thinking straight, thinking right!

“A lot depends on when I am bowling and what is required from me. That’s something I do when I play for India and I try to follow the same thing in the domestic circuit,” says Yuzvendra Chahal.

time-read
7 minutos  |
December 14, 2019
The Big Three and the Next Gen
Sportstar

The Big Three and the Next Gen

Though the Big Three are very unlikely to retire during the same year, Judy Murray, mother of Andy, echoed the sentiments of many fans worried about the impact of their departures.

time-read
9 minutos  |
December 14, 2019
WAKING UP TO MENTAL HEALTH
Sportstar

WAKING UP TO MENTAL HEALTH

Sport at large and cricket specifically has taken an inordinately long time to address the elephant in the room — the dark abyss of depression.

time-read
5 minutos  |
December 14, 2019
Like sunshine in a gloomy dressing room
Sportstar

Like sunshine in a gloomy dressing room

Bangladesh quick Abu Jayed Rahi is new in the red-ball arena, but his swing brings back old memories — of James Anderson on green tops.

time-read
6 minutos  |
December 14, 2019
The league of the masses
Sportstar

The league of the masses

With traditional clubs locking horns with the hard-working nurseries of the game, the I-League will continue to keep the beating heart of Indian football alive despite official apathy.

time-read
4 minutos  |
December 14, 2019