While he might not have the brilliance of Tendulkar, the technical skill of Dravid, the explosiveness of Dhoni, or the daring stroke play of Rohit, Virat Kohli is a special combination of all of them in the ODI batting world.
Before assuming responsibility, Kohli made a leap that reverberated through the crowded stands to allay fears, roars, and emotions. He raised his hands in honor of Sachin Tendulkar, who applauded in return. There was electricity in the air.
He regained his composure and even made an assertive move on the field by knocking off someone's glasses before kissing his wife. Kohli's perfect timing was announced by his 50th ODI century. Viv, family, and the cricket community were present while we watched.
It's almost unimaginable that Kohli surpassed Tendulkar and finished 50th in ODIs; he's not as talented as Tendulkar, not as strong technically as Dravid, not as explosive as Dhoni, but he doesn't have Rohit's fearless arsenal. However, when it comes to ODI batting, Kohli embodies them all. It makes sense that he leads the team in runs scored by a wide margin.
Tendulkar acknowledged first, and Kohli, positioned at the crease, graciously accepted the dignified tribute. Tendulkar invented ODI batting, but there were moments when he was unable to complete a game, unlike Kohli today. The man who carried the greatest weight on his shoulders would occasionally wilt.
He received criticism from some, but more will be done in the future, and the dynamics and history of Indian cricket will not be taken into account. Tendulkar is the reason why Kohli exists. There is a biological evolution to it. Tendulkar's lineage would be lacking without Kohli's influence. Being the one who revolutionized ODI batting among all Indian batsmen is something Tendulkar should be proud of.
Kohli's game sense in this semi-final was outstanding. Short bursts of time saw Kane Williamson switching up his bowlers, and whenever he got big guns, Kohli jumped to set the tone. When Trent Boult came back to bowl in the 19th over, Kohli ran beneath the track to hit him for a boundary. 200 came next.
When Tim Southee was brought in to bowl in the thirtyth over, Kohli took the ball for the second ball of the over and again went down the track to drag-flick the slower ball into the wide long-on stand. Kohli faced formidable challenges from Southee and Boult. With his singles, he nearly reached another century.
There's fear in Kohli's response to opponents. Kohli is turning into a show since the India-Pakistan game in Ahmedabad, when Babar Azam asked for his T-shirt and Bangladesh's Mushfiqur Rahim did the same after reaching a century. Tendulkar's response in recent years appears to indicate that opponents are gathering moments with him in order to claim, 'I was there.'
Furthermore, his style of batting makes him stand out. When batting in this tournament, Kohli has been exceptionally composed and at ease. He is frequently observed joking around with teammates, chatting with umpires, and interacting with wicketkeepers. He will even halt a throw to make sure the non-striker gets to the bowler.
The opposition views Kohli with fear. Following the India-Pakistan game, in which Babar Azam requested his T-shirt and Bangladesh's Mushfiqur Rahim did the same following a century, opponents are gathering experiences with him in an attempt to claim, 'I was there.'
And his batting also reflects his personality. Tendulkar relished the creative flair of batting; in the end, his innings seemed to be a replay of his all-time favorite programme. The shots that are going to come are identifiable; they could be a square-leg whisk to rotate the strike, a paddle-sweep for spinners, a hit over extra cover through the gap, or a regular arc he will score through.
In conclusion, Tendulkar's supremacy, particularly during the World Cup, is evocative of Kohli's ascent. His uniqueness is demonstrated by his awareness and inevitability during the majority of innings. Like Tendulkar, Kohli's century represents more than just a run total; it's a tribute to a period of Indian cricket history that will always be remembered.
It's a similar story with Kohli, though it should be mentioned that we've seen how T20 has affected him during this tournament. He doesn't seem to be content to settle into a tough run at the beginning of his inning, as evidenced by his persistent aggressive movements. But after a rocky beginning, he usually settles down and goes into his control mode, scoring runs in a way that is reminiscent of Kohli.
It appears as though the trademark sweat-flick is returning; it now appears against slow full-length and back-of-length short deliveries. Whether he will deliver pace-length deliveries is still unknown. He has so far managed to pull it off against Lockie Ferguson, a fast bowler, with a few runs in the deep backward square-leg. Tendulkar had stopped using his trademark charge-and-smash approach to fast bowling in recent years. It's still there in part.
To the extent that Tendulkar will partner England's Chris Tremlett in a similar manner on the seasoned cricket circuit in a few years. Regaining his confidence for that sweat-flick is Kohli's goal. He always seems the most excited when he plays that shot, whether it's a slow or short shot, and he signals to his partner as though he knew the slow shot in advance. Maybe the shot will eventually revert to its previous splendor.
India is lucky that the master of the chase, Kohli, has not vanished. Dhoni demonstrated how being followed can push a player to the brink and potentially break their run. Unlike Kohli, who'makes the match and then wins,' he will be patient and wait to take advantage of the mistakes made by the other team. Because he bats at the top of the order, Kohli takes longer than Dhoni to make the match, but his method is more methodical and less nerve-wracking for fans.
Milestones in Indian cricket are marked with a little flair and drama. Tendulkar reaching his 100th century, Kapil Dev breaking Richard Hadlee's wicket record, and Sunil Gavaskar having to wait a little longer to score his 10,000th run were all results of Dev's patient innings. Kohli isn't, however, making his final effort to tie or even surpass Sachin Tendulkar's 49 ODI hundreds.
Although he has struggled in recent years, this World Cup has seen runs and hundreds during the last lap. The sense of plenty in his form is apparent; he lost out on two centuries. This 2023 edition is a fitting display for the batsman who owns this format, but he seems fit enough to play in another ODI World Cup in four years.
The nation was introduced to this format and its joy by Kapil Dev's 83rd team; Sunil Gavaskar's 85th team celebrated it in Australia; Sachin Tendulkar connected the nation to this innate emotion with his innings, questioning what would happen if he got out; Kohli allayed the fans' fears and will go down in history as the Big Boss of ODIs.