Crowning Glory

Kohli had to be Kohli to help India win the final

- BECHU S

Pride is often an adornment that kings don. But after his final war that ended in a great victory, this one, known for his impulsive valour, remained grounded. His words: “This was an open secret. Not something that I wasn’t going to announce even if we had lost... It’s been difficult to hold [feelings] back and I think it’s going to sink in later. It’s an amazing day and I’m thankful...”

The king did weep, but wiped his tears as he sat down to send word to his queen. The cameras zoomed in in awe as he blew kisses at the phone screen, made silly faces at his kids and tried his best to listen to them from a packed stadium that was roaring his name, alongside victory chants.

“This man is setting the bar high for the companions, husbands and fathers out there,” one netizen responded.

The chest-thumping, fist-pumping aggressor, India’s master run-chaser, and the man who famously silenced rivals, their supporters and even those who “sit and speak from the box” felt a far cry from the man that night in Barbados. At 35, having finally completed white-ball cricket by claiming the one trophy that eluded him for 12 years, Virat Kohli looked grateful if not relieved.

For Rajkumar Sharma, his childhood coach, there was no “new” Kohli at the postmatch presentation. “The aggression has been and always will be his strength,” he told THE WEEK. “But outside the ground, he has always been humble. It was very good to see him publicly saying that he is a God-fearing man and believes in destiny. He was always like that. As he has aged, he has become more mature.”