Kohli: King with no tantrums, darling of media

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever," said William Wordsworth once and it still holds true in all arts and forms.

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If we consider batting as an art then Kohli is a master painter, probably the Picasso of batting. His stance, composure, shot-selection, aggression and determination made him one of the most flamboyant batsmen to have ever graced the game of cricket.

It was always a pleasure to watch him bat either on TV or on the ground. I must consider myself lucky to have seen him from close quarters since 2014, when the IPL was shifted to the UAE for the first time. Since then, I have had the pleasure of watching him many times like 2018 Asia Cup, 2021 World Cup, 2020 IPL, 2021 IPL, 2022 Asia Cup and 2024 Champions Trophy.

Having witnessed hundreds of batters as a cricket journalist from close quarters, I must reckon there was something which made him different from the others both on and off the field.

My first tryst with the master batsman was in 2014 during the IPL and I fell in love with his batting style. Whenever we attended a practice session at the ICC Oval, he was as serious in practice as in the matches. He was always polite with the media personnel, no tantrums. He always stopped to give selfies to the fans.