Thank you Virat!

It was November 2013. The Tendulkar era had come to an end. A nation needs an icon and the search for the heir to the throne vacated by the Master from Mumbai had begun in right earnest. There were contenders and there were pretenders. But it would be fair to say that the search concluded just as soon as it had started. It was clear to all and sundry who the heir apparent was. Virat Kohli.

But acceptance didn’t come easy. The attitude was too flashy, the personality too bold. Tattoos, movie star girlfriends accompanying on foreign tours, oh and the aggression – at times appearing put on, at times seemingly misplaced. After all, for a nation used to traits of the old school – thanks to that individual from Bandra – Virat was a fiery, bold flavor, new to the palate. The strokes were impressive, the run making reassuring but the spunk and persona seemed too cavalier. Was the prince ready or were we taking a leap of faith?

And herein lies the answer to that question: this is the icon of a new India. Here was someone completely at ease wearing his success like a crown and living the high life off the field in full public glare. A star needn’t hide his weaknesses, can flaunt his fame, comfortable with his earned success and yet be an ambassador to the country and carry its sporting aspirations. India is different and so are her sport stars.

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In the Indian batting pantheon, there are five Gods. India as a cricketing unit grew a moustache under Sourav Ganguly – the original aggressor. (Dhoni came along and gave it a twirl.) Sachin was, well, Sachin. And while Dravid and Laxman provided the aesthetic appeal, Sehwag the marauder supplied brute force.

One has to agree that there are elements of all five to be found in Virat. He has aggression – although it could be worn better, in my opinion. His captaincy in India’s previous tour of Australia has provided glimpses of a good future ahead. He has the strokes and sense of occasion that was Sachin’s strengths. Not to mention the ability to rally the troops and provide hope where none existed. Unfortunately, of late, there is that rather unpleasant reminder from the 90s: of standing tall amid the batting ruins. The ability to come out with all guns blazing when the chips are really down reminds me of the escape artist that Laxman was. Especially reserving the best for the Aussies. And in the game against Australia, there was not one scoop, ramp, switch hit or any other gimmicks; just clean cricketing shots. Rahul Dravid anyone? 

And to be lauded as a chase master or a great finisher when batting at three talks to his reliability. Sterner tests lay ahead on a longer time scale, but on the evidence of what we have enjoyed thus far, it only bodes well for the future. And there is no begrudging that this guy is the complete package.

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With the retirement of the famous five, I was mentally prepared to fade into the background as an active cricket fan and instead become the casual follower of the sport. You know, a dispassionate elderly statesman-like fan, showing the same, muted levels of interest for any cricket match independent of whether or not team India played. But who was I kidding? No, seriously, who was I kidding? After this knockout blow dealt to the Aussies, it feels like it is 1998 all over again. Given how this bugger is batting, it is now time to pull out that blue jersey from the box, start waking up at odd hours, yell at the TV and get involved all over again. Sigh.