Kolkata: A headline by news agency PTI states, “King Kohli climbs ‘The Wall’, eclipses ‘The Don.’” There could not have not been a more appropriate way to celebrate Indian captain Virat Kohli’s achievement of scoring four double hundreds in four successive Test series going past Rahul Dravid and Sir Donald Bradman who have three in their kitty. Kohli after his 204 against Bangladesh in Hyderabad today, is in a different league. Only 28, and the Delhi guy is on his way to attaining a place amongst the all-time greats in the history of the game of cricket. Yes, he is in sublime touch in Tests this season amassing runs at ease.
Not only is the Indian captain leading from the front in Test matches, he is also motivating his boys with his performances that go on to embolden his teammates. There’s something extraordinary about Kohli who seems unstoppable at this point of time. Let’s not just look at the statistics, let’s also look at the sheer arrogance with which he is toying with bowling in all the formats of the game. True, he was not up to his standards in the T20 series against England, yet, it was a one-off case. Kohli stamps his authority on the game with his grace and attitude which is a deadly combination. Yet, having been on a roll in the last ten months or so, a conservative would think twice before having the final word on Kohli and getting him an entry into the group of all-time greats. The reason is simple: Greatness is assessed on the basis of performances under all conditions and most of Kohli’s runs this season, barring the series against a beleaguered West Indies, have come on Indian soil. It’s true, he scored a double hundred against the Caribbeans on their soil, but after that he has only played in India. This could be a case strong enough for critics to wait and watch before the final verdict on Kohli’s greatness is out.
One can fume at those who still need time to categorise Kohli. Hasn’t Kohli scored hundreds in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia? Yes, he has. And the 2014 Test series Down Under saw Kohli at his best with four hundreds under inclement circumstances. In Australia, Kohli averages 62 in 8 Tests. In South Africa, the Indian captain has an average of 68 in 2 Tests. In England, it’s a dismal 13.40 in 5 Test matches. In New Zealand he has an average of 71.33 in 2 Test matches. Kohli is yet to tour Pakistan. But, if we look at his overall batting average at home, it comes to over 60. Away from home, Kohli averages 44.61.
Dravid on the other hand averages 53.03 in 94 Tests abroad, which is higher than his home average of 51.35 in 70 Tests. Sachin Tendulkar ended up with an average of 54.74 in 106 Tests abroad which is better than his average of 52.67 in 94 matches in India. If we look at Sunil Gavaskar, the statistics strike a similar feature: 52.11 in 60 Tests on foreign soil and 50.16 in 65 Tests at home.
This is exactly where Kohli has to get his figures right which is an impressive average abroad, especially outside the sub-continent. Let’s not forget Gavaskar managed an average of 70.20 in West Indies, at a time when the Caribbeans were a lethal force in world cricket, 48.59 in Australia and New Zealand and over 40 in England. Dravid has averages of 63.83 in New Zealand, 68.80 in England and 41.64 in Australia. His average in South Africa is poor though at 29.71. Tendulkar averages 53.20 in Australia, 54.31 in England, 49.52 in New Zealand and 46.44 in South Africa. Yes, these three Indian batting legends have survived the onslaught outside the sub-continent with heavy scores.
Indians, Pakistanis and Sri Lankans are never held in high esteem if they don’t show agility abroad especially outside the sub-continent. The scores in England, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand count and Kohli needs to continue with this consistency when India travels outside Asia. Unfortunately, the West Indians are no longer the team they were especially in longest format of the game.
Similarly, for an Englishman or an Australian or a South African, measuring up to the challenges on turning tracks back on the sub-continent is a benchmark that differentiates between the ordinary and the extraordinary. There’s no denying that Kohli has the class and he has time too. Not that he has disappointed outside the sub-continent in all the three formats of the game, but he needs to dispel even an iota of doubt from the minds of his critics who still would bide time before calling him an all-time great. And for that he needs to confronts bowlers on hard and bouncy tracks with the same attitude in the days to come as well.
As of now, at such a young age, Kohli has rewritten history, but he has the potential to surpass even the best ever in the history of the game. Five years down the line, probably we will be in a better position to judge Kohli by which time he will have played many more matches on foreign soil and in unfamiliar conditions. God willing, the determination will stay and the hunger for success will only reach unprecedented heights because this guy hates to lose.