10 Inspiring Facts To Prove Why Birthday Boy Virat Kohli Is The Captain Team India Needs

October 20, 2016

He might be turning only 28 today, but when it comes to taking responsibilities and shouldering a billion dreams, there is none that come close to Virat Kohli. The prolific batsman and India’s leading man in Test Cricket has time and again redefined leadership and all other positive traits a sportsman can have.

With Mahendra Singh Dhoni looking to make way for a new successor, it is time for Kohli to rise up and take what seems to be destined for him to take – captaincy of ODI and T20 formats for India.

Here are 10 inspiring facts that prove why Virat Kohli is the captain team India needs.

1. Virat Kohli had a tremendous amount of determination and confidence in his abilities even when he was young. His first coach Ajit Chaudhary remembers an incident when Kohli was 16 years old and got his right arm tattooed for the first time. Chaudhary warned that he would force him to wear full sleeves if he failed in the next match. Virat went on to score 230 runs.

2. Virat’s dedication to the game of cricket is so intense that even on the day of his father’s death he wielded the willow to score 90 runs for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka.

3. Virat Kohli made his debut in the ODIs against Sri Lanka breaking perceptions that no newcomer can find a place in the well set Indian squad. Injuries to Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag gave Kohli a chance which he made the most of with a match-winning 54 runs in the fourth ODI.

4. Virat Kohli doesn’t really take days off. The star striker has a strict fitness regimen and trains intensely even when he is rested for smaller tournaments.

Here’s a home workout video of Virat Kohli when he was rested for India’s T20 series against Sri Lanka in February 2016.

5. Virat Kohli is a team player. He has his responsibility set on making sure that Team India wins every single match. This is evident from his batting average while chasing. Kohli has a whopping average of 122.83 in successful chases for India.

6. Kohli doesn’t let match outcomes affect his approach towards the game. The Adidas India-sponsored cricketer is never truly satisfied with his performance and this helps him unleash his real potential.

7. Virat Kohli holds some very important batting records which include the fastest to reach 1000, 3000, 4000 and 5000 runs in ODI Cricket.

8. Virat Kohli was the only person that legendary Sir Vivian Richards compared himself with. The West Indian batting sensation said that watching Kohli bat was like watching him bat.

9. The constant comparisons with Sachin Tendulkar and being called the ‘Future of Indian Cricket’ hasn’t put added pressure on Kohli’s shoulders. In fact, he proves that he is better than Sachin. Virat Kohli has scored 20 ODI hundreds from 133 innings in comparison to Tendulkar who had made 20 ODI hundreds in 197 innings.

10. Virat Kohli has an aggressive attitude on the field which is in stark contrast to the current Indian captain for limited overs, M.S. Dhoni. Kohli doesn’t shy away from confrontations and takes them as motivators to amp up his game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38jKXauGYzE

Here’s wishing the future of Indian cricket a very happy birthday!