The following year, in 2021, Kohli was in what was arguably the lowest point of his career in and around his birthday. India were eliminated from the T20 World Cup two days after he turned 33, in his final tournament as T20I captain. As if that wasn’t enough, the BCCI informed Kohli a little more than a month later that he was no longer required as India’s ODI captain. This was not the birthday present that India’s most decorated batter of the last decade had hoped for.To make matters worse, Kohli, who had gone two years without a century, was now struggling to register double-digit scores, let alone fifties. When 2022 began, it was assumed that Kohli the champion would overcome his poor form, but things quickly changed. As a record-obsessed nation witnessed Kohli’s fall from grace… their superhero, their King reduced to being mortal, the Test average fell below 50 for the first time. In a heartbreaking sight during the IPL, the man who would once conjure hundreds for fun was now looking at the heavens, almost questioning, How many new ways are you going to find to get me out? Runs had dried up, and form had eluded him.
But, as the old adage goes, tough times have an expiration date, and while Kohli’s period lasted longer than anyone expected, it is now over. The Kohli of old has returned to claim his throne on his 34th birthday. Kohli is dominating the charts in what could be his final T20 World Cup. Kohli is putting on a show to remember, scoring over 200 runs in four matches at a Bradman-esque average of 220, as he did in the Asia Cup, where he was India’s leading run-scorer with 273 runs.
But there’s something different in the air this time. Just as there is something unique about Kohli. This could be Kohli reaching his peak for the first time in three years, making up for three years of lost time. And what a redemption story it would be if the King handed India the World Cup in front of a packed MCG crowd.
Virat, happy birthday. And thank you for returning; we missed you!
