Young cricketers, fans honour king Kohli’s legacy

Young cricket fans reflect on Virat Kohli's retirement, admiring his fitness, technique, and impact on Indian cricket.

When a young Virat Kohli announced his arrival to the cricket world with a composed little cameo of an innings of 35 in the 2011 World Cup final, Mithun Manoj, now 18 and a member of the Under-19 Ernakulam district team, was just a toddler.

Over the years, as he developed a passion for the game, Mithun became not just a cricket fan but a self-confessed Kohli admirer as well. So when his icon announced his retirement from the longer version of the game on Monday a pall of gloom washed over him.

For him, there was no other worthy successor to the near-cult status of Sachin Tendulkar. Being a cricketer himself, he looks at many of Kohli’s traits with awe. “He redefined the importance of fitness in the game. Many of us youngsters try to live up to his fitness standards, though it is not easy. His batting technique is another thing I dream of,” said the all-rounder from Eloor.

Sanjan S. Prabhu, 20, anticipates a time when the Indian Test team will greatly miss the experience of Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who announced his retirement last week. He does not remember Kohli for his slam-dunk heroics in the shortest version of Twenty20 cricket. “He played Test cricket the way it demanded, in all its beauty. The fearless attitude he took to the ground almost always guaranteed domination of the opposition and brought positive results. My defining Kohli memories are his cover drives and his celebrations when he reached personal milestones or when the team won,” said the wicketkeeper-batsman, who had represented Ernakulam district in the Under-19 and Under-16 age groups.

A. Bharath, a 17-year-old all-rounder, felt Kohli could have waited until the team identified a worthy player to replace him in the middle order before hanging up his boots. He feels Kohli’s aggressive captaincy was pivotal in winning India their first-ever Test series on Australian soil in the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. “He never backed down from a contest and that caught the Aussies off guard. His presence of mind to tackle any given moment is what I desire as a cricketer,” he said.

Prashanth Suresh Babu, 42, an ardent cricket buff, is still coming to terms with Kohli’s exit. He could have played in the forthcoming England series and tried to go out all guns blazing, Mr. Suresh Babu felt. “When he was at the crease, India was never out of the game as he was capable of dragging us back from the most improbable situations. I believe that his straight six over Haris Rauf in that high-pressure T20 World Cup match against Pakistan in 2022 remains the best shot ever played,” he said.

Varghese Johny, 17, of Pookkattupady, struck a different note, though. He felt that it was the right time to retire, opening up chances for performing youngsters. “Except for his century on the last Australian tour, Kohli has been struggling for form in Tests. The cover drive, which was once his showpiece stroke has been his undoing for quite some time now,” he said rather nonchalantly.