Virat Kohli retires: boys who fill the voids of Sachin Tendulkar; now, younger generations are filling the vacuum of Kohli
This is not only related to the myriad milestones and countless milestones that Tendulkar has accumulated over his nearly two and a half decades of career. He is more than just his terrible batsman on the court. He is the biggest superstar in cricket, a crowd of people and a beacon of hope, a country with more than a billion people. Tendulkar not only bears the expectation of an emerging country trying to figure out his place in the world, it is not only the weight of his bats. He carried everything with a strong man.
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In this sense, Tendulkar has left such a huge legacy that it seems almost impossible to find a valuable successor. The weak will break in the constant spotlight and scrutinize ruthlessly. The fierce will burn themselves in the firm demands of international cricket.
But boys from West Delhi were made of something harsh. Before he became an adult, he had already experienced “Agni Pariksha”. On a cold December morning in December 2006, Kohli arrived at the ground at Feroz Shah Kotla just hours after his father’s death. The loss was injured and he fell in the locker room. But he quickly formed himself, washed his face, and walked out to restore his situation. Kohli continued to score 90 points in the match with 238 goals against Karnataka for Delhi. He left the ground as early as possible and performed his father’s final ceremony. That day clearly demonstrated his commitment to cricket, or rather, he has been committed to his duties throughout his outstanding career.Please read also: Virat Kohli retires: From Shreyas Iyer to Cheteshwar Pujara – Top cricketers who can walk India through test match crisis reminiscent of the same heartbreaking events in Tendulkar’s life. In 1999, when his father died in Mumbai, he played in the World Cup in the UK. He immediately flew home to perform the ceremony with his family. As India is in a grim position after its first two games against South Africa and Zimbabwe, Tendurka returns and scores against Kenya in Kenya to bring the team’s campaign back on track.
Unlike Tendulkar, Kohli spent some time establishing himself as a test cricketer. But once he understood his game, he had escaped – scoring 21 centuries in 55 Tests (6 of them) in his game from October 2014 to December 2019.
However, compared to how fast he beat the run in previous years, the past five years has been a hindrance. His meager return in three centuries in 39 Tests since 2020 has reduced his numbers and stopped the nobles who once looked destined to conquer every hit milestone in the world.
Kohli rightly thinks of the Indian team’s fitness era and embeds it into India’s wider conscience. But over the past few years, his struggles have reminded people that the success of an elite movement depends on more factors than just a healthy body. Despite his superhuman achievements, he is still as deadly as any other great man before him.
Still, Kohli is fourth-placed – his position to beat in Test cricket – in India’s all-time running races, followed by Tendulkar (15,921) (15,921), Rahul Dravid (13,265) and Sunil Gavaskar (10,122).
Like Tendulkar, the shadow of Kohli’s legacy goes far beyond the run he has accumulated. He taught India a new way of playing test cricket, pursuing victory before safety. He urged the Indians not to doubt themselves and to play on their own terms. He shows that it is OK to break tradition on the altar of team success.
Like Tendulkar, Kohli left a big gap when he woke up. Now, it’s up to the next generation to decide what Kohli does to Tendulkar’s legacy: move it forward.
