Has Time Come to Show Exit Door to Virat Kohli Out From Indian Test Squad?
Virat Kohli scored got lbw for 22 in Indore (AP Photo)
Born and raised in a generation when the Australians were literally ruling the cricketing world, Virat Kohli saw a zeal inside himself, which echoed just one chant - "Be like the Aussies and beat them in their ducking play".
A West Delhi Boy from a humble background, who saw many ups and downs in life even before turning 18, he came to the Indian setup with one sole motivation to become the best in the world.
He came. Time went on. He transformed himself. And? And eventually become the best in the world. The ruler, the King - as they call him.
But no king holds the regime for his entire time - not at least in today's (not so) democratic world.
So, what exactly happened? Let me tell you a small story!
On a windy, gloomy night, the world saw a storm hit it, and the King was not the King anymore. But the zeal to rule the world never went off, but the storm saw him getting powerless.
The all-knowing learnt men - who once were his greatest admirers - started asking him questions. They started judging his prowess and his skill sets.
But why won't they? No king has seen a struggle over three long years. No wounded body can be returned to the battleground and be victorious.
But, again, our King is special. He is a vintage Indian dream imbibed inside all of us that want to outbeat the best in the world. We all are him, and he is us.
After a three-year-long, our King broke the shackles. He came back to his old and much-celebrated groove first in the shortest format before finding his rhythm right in the ODI format. However, what can one do about the all-knowing learnt men who were still behind him and questioning his place in the purest form of the game?
Since the storm, he has been averaging merely 25 runs per innings, which is half of his career average. It has been 1200 days since his last Test century.
Anyone could have been dropped after such drastic numbers.
Even the mighty Virat Kohli?
No. He won't get dropped. And, of course, he should not be.
Virat Kohli is not just any cricketer. He has been the one who was touted to carry forward Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar's legacy by the Master Blaster himself.
And it wasn't just a PR stunt that a public figure does to gain extra brownie points. He is goddamn Sachin Tendulkar. And to be fair, Virat has been pulling off all those miraculous stunts that the Little Master used to do.
As referred by a former cricketer: Virat's legacy is beyond numbers; he does things only great people can do.
Not that he should be treated upon his legacy, but the weighing scale should be similar for each and every one, but a Virat in your team only strengthens the lineup.
Any opposition team is worried about the phenomenon named Virat Kohli and will give an extra hour to the think-table to chalk down plans for the mighty batter.
Numbers won't paint the actual picture, but apart from Rohit Sharma, Virat has been the only Indian batter who has looked good in the ongoing Test series against Australia. 111 runs from five innings might not justify his stature, but if seen with a thin microscope, his outings at Delhi and Indore showed glimpses of the vintage Virat Kohli. On a good day and a better track, he could have converted those 44 and 22 into Test century numbers 28 and 29.
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It shouldn't be the people on Virat's side who should be stressing, but the people against him should worry, as when the King finds his mojo back in the longest format, he will again become invulnerable. And mind you, it's not a case of if it's about when he would find that mojo back.
And seeing Virat's recent history from the shorter formats, when he was entrusted a bit extra, he gave a ten x return.
 "Arjun Bhalla")
