Having already led India to an unassailable 3-0 series lead over England, Kohli has time and again proved that captaincy has never burdened him individually
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Virat Kohli is undoubtedly the new Superman of cricket. His mind-boggling feats with the bat of late have been unearthly. Riding like a colossus, this new-found genius of Indian cricket is certainly looking ominous to grow even bigger - both as a batsman and skipper. At 28, like his first name suggests, Kohli seems destined for even greater achievements and is perfectly poised to rewrite history books given the talent he is blessed with. In doing so, Kohli is quietly earning himself a cult status in a cricket-crazy nation where his mentor Tendulkar is worshiped as the God of cricket. Having already led India to an unassailable 3-0 series lead over England with a superlative double ton in Mumbai in the ongoing five-match Test series, Kohli has time and again proved that captaincy has never burdened him individually. On the contrary, unlike his predecessors, who apparently were believed to be unable to do justice to game's twin aspects - captaincy and batting, this Delhi cricketer has not only transformed himself into a run-machine across all formats of the game but has emerged as an astute leader of men, who sets examples. Tons are just flowing out at will off Kohli's bat this season, with West Indies, New Zealand and England all being at the receiving end of his willow-wielding pyrotechnics. What with three double tons under his belt this season, this super athlete of Indian cricket has already raked up over a 1000 calendar Test runs and in doing so has gone past the 4000-run barrier in a series-winning 52nd Test for himself at the Wankhede. The ambitious India star who is already rated as the best one-day batsman in the world, has smashed 640 Test runs in the ongoing series against England. With the final Test of the series yet to be played, Kohli fans would be licking their lips in anticipation to witness one final ton of the year, hoping that Kohli would get past a staggering 800-run mark for the series as he needs 120 more runs to reach that landmark. The double hundred in Mumbai ensured that Kohli had become the first Indian captain in 35 years to make 500 runs or more in a series and took his team into the lead. Such has been Kohli's transition as a cricketer over the past couple of seasons, that the right-handed magician he grabbed eyeballs, averaging 50 in all the formats of the game having notched up 41 international hundreds (15 in Tests & 26 in ODIs). There is no doubt that Kohli is India's best bet to surmount Tendulkar's phenomenal feats in cricket, but how long will India's new No 4 be able to sustain his productivity remains to be seen.
