Virat Kohli: First 5 Years

As he enters the stage,

A billion mouths shush,

The cricketing world holds its breath

And even the grass seems to blush.

Few have been held in the same breath as our pioneers,

From Sachin to Sir Vivian, from Ponting to Lara, and from Waugh to Sangakara,

But he, he surpasses them all,

His class is impeccable, his mindset unmatched and his goal unwavering.

His story is as tragic as heroic,

A father dead at 18,

His mentor, his one and only idol; disappeared

And yet, as lions do he carried on.

And in 08, a fiery brash youngster took centerstage

As he roared among the triumphant U-19 kings,

The world took notice as Indian cricket flipped pages,

And slowly the younglings were exploring their wings.

And slowly but steadily, his game matured,

No longer was he the arrogant youngling who ventured,

It was a new decade and with that came a new man,

One ready to take on the changing world.