DD India

Virat Kohli was just a few meters away from breaking Sachin tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI centuries. He flicked Matt Henry straight to Glenn Phillips on 95, with only five runs needed to chase down New Zealand’s 274. As soon as he saw the catch, Kohli smiled sheepishly and walked back to the dugout, soaking in the crowd’s applause and waving his bat at them, acknowledging their support.

Though he missed the three-figure on Sunday, it could not be too long before he equals and then breaks the record of his idol. But more importantly for his team, he played the role of Tendulkar in the 2011 World Cup. He, like Tendulkar, the little master was India’s highest run-getter in the 2011 World Cup—482 runs at 53.55 average, with two centuries in that season. This campaign, Kohli has already piled up 354 runs at an average of 118 in five games.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma was speechless about Kohli’s form and approach. “I have nothing much to say about Virat. We’ve seen him do this for so many years. He backs himself up to do the job,” he said during the presentation ceremony. There are no more superlatives left to explain the genius of Kohli.

As valuable a player as he is to his captain, he is a nightmare to the rival captain. “As a captain, you have to be proactive but also work on your plans. Think about match-ups. Virat has a response to most plans,” New Zealand’s stand-in captain Tom Latham explained his plight. Similar lines were used to describe Tendulkar’s batting too.

So far in this World Cup, Kohli’s knocks have come at crucial moments in games and have decisively influenced the outcome. He arrived at the crease on the fifth ball of India’s 201-run chase against Australia in the first game. They were soon three wickets down for two runs. He was offered a chance at life. Unfazed, he batted on and delivered a masterclass in anchoring a chase on turners. Tipping and running, nudging singles, hitting the occasional four, and gradually dominating the bowlers, this was classic Kohli.

He picked an unbeaten half-century against Afghanistan on a belter, and an l6 against Pakistan before he orchestrated a chase with 103 not out against Bangladesh. It was tricky in that India lost both openers after a fast start. They needed someone to breathe calmness, exude patience, and shepherd the chase. Kohli was that man. Then he has been that man since Tendulkar’s farewell. The man who carries a billion hopes on his shoulders.

It appears symbolic that Kohli hoisted Tendulkar on his shoulders for the lap of honour at the Wankhede Stadium following India’s World Cup victory in 2011. “He has carried the hopes of a nation for so many years,” Kohli would say poetically. This was his gift from all those people because he kept giving, giving, giving for India, and I thought what better way to realize his dream than on his home turf, and then he gets a lap of honour.”

For the next decade or so, He was already an established batsman, but in the coming years, he became the nation’s flag-bearer, its best batsman across formats, an all-time legend, arguably the finest 50-over batsman the game had ever seen, and a successful captain, forging the team in his own image, making them an unbreakable unit.

Every game from now on, fans would flock to the stadium and turn on their televisions and streaming apps to not only watch India win but also to see Kohli equal Tendulkar’s record. Even better for Kohli and his team would be if someone lifted him on their shoulders for the lap of honour on November 19 in Ahmedabad.