‘Bahut tough thaa’: When Virat Kohli’s journey to the top started from Eden Garden 14 years ago

Virat Kohli was all of 20, already an U-19 World Cup captain, touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket but a solitary half-century in five ODIs wasn’t a reflection of what one was going to witness over the next decade.

As Kohli steps onto the field on his 35th birthday, against South Africa in front of a packed crowd on the same hallowed turf, there would be an overriding feeling among the handful who had watched the genius in the making 14 summers ago.

In extreme heat and humidity, Kohli had scored 184 off just 121 balls in that final match against Town Club. It was not even a decent club attack but in those challenging conditions, it was unbelievable domination from a future superstar.

“Bahut tough thaa. Lag raha tha skin phat raha hai (It was tough. The heat was unbearable),” Kohli told reporters that day apart from answering the customary questions on his possible comeback into the Indian side.

But that ‘club-class’ hundred was the precursor or trailer for the full-length feature film released around six months later on Christmas eve when he scored his first of his 48 ODI hundreds – 107 vs Sri Lanka at this very ground. It was still a chubby-cheeked Kohli, not the chiselled-jaw world-class athlete, who forged a beautiful partnership with Gautam Gambhir. Post-match, Gambhir called up Kohli and handed his player of the match cheque to the young cricketer as a mark of encouragement from a senior player.

Who knows the world record-equalling 49th hundred might just happen at the same venue where it all started.

There won’t be 70,000 ‘Kohli masks’ in the stands but when have “Viratians” (as his die-hard partisan fans identify themselves) needed to mask up. They have Kohli in their hearts and a prayer on their lips for the 49th ton on what could be the best strip for batting thus far in the competition.

“He is not tensed about his 49th hundred. His job is to contribute to the team’s cause and he has done that. We still discuss about the game.

“For me, what stands out is his discipline, dedication and above all staying so rooted and humble in this journey,” childhood coach and mentor Rajkumar Sharma told PTI on the eve of his favourite student’s birthday.

More than being guru and shishya, Rajkumar and Kohli share a father-son bond. And now Kohli’s elder brother Vikas and sister Bhawna’s kids also train at the iconic West Delhi Academy in Paschim Vihar.

On Sunday, the coach has planned an intimate birthday celebration along with family members before getting on to watch his ward in action.

But before that Sharma does have another challenge: to deal with the requests of close to 50-odd Bangladeshi journalists, who all want to interview him on the ‘Making of Virat’, something he has spoken about a zillion times.

As Kohli went through his batting drills like he does before every game, coach Rahul Dravid, who jokingly referred to Kohli as team’s “wrong-footed inswinging menace”, said that Sunday would be no different.

“I think Virat’s been really relaxed and as you can see in his performances, you know, batting really well for us, really keen to do well as he always is. So, look, I haven’t noticed anything different. He’s always been the same. He’s always been professional, always been hardworking, always been switched on. So, nothing different.

“And, no, I don’t really think he’s thinking too much about 49 and 50, and probably certainly not about his birthday getting a year older. But, no, I think he’s been really focused on winning the tournament and playing some good cricket for us. I think he’s doing that really well,” the head coach said.

Life might come a full circle for the cricket world’s most bankable mega-star, a phenomenon big enough for a global body to market his name to get into the Olympics.

He is Virat Kohli. He is everything. A precocious talent, wayward with rough edges, a fitness freak, a manic run-machine, a social media game-changer blessed with eloquence to match it, fiercely protective but an elegant public figure.

His persona has changed and one can see how free and charged up he has been after relinquishing his captaincy.

On November 5 last year, Kohli was asked about his celebration plans and he had said that everything will happen after the T20 World Cup final in Melbourne.

The CAB’s plans to have a public birthday celebrations didn’t get BCCI’s nod. May be, the legend himself wants to keep everything on hold till November 19.

On that day, he won’t mind Mohammed Siraj and Shubman Gill carrying him on their shoulders at Motera.

That will be the best belated birthday gift for the man who has carried Indian team on his shoulders for more than a decade.