Kohli's trident

An extraordinary 2018 for Virat Kohli has been rightly acknowledged by ICC as the Indian captain became the first cricketer to sweep all individual awards besides being named the captain of the world team in both Tests and ODIs. Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC cricketer of the year, besides the best player award in Test and ODI, have together etched Kohli's name in history books. Amassing 2,735 runs at an average of 68.37 across formats, Kohli clearly outclassed his peers as well as opponents by a good margin. He scored 1,322 runs at an average of 55.08 in 13 Tests with five centuries during the calendar year; while in 14 ODIs, he amassed 1,202 runs at an astonishing average of 133.55 with six tons. Beyond the statistics lay the headlines that he made throughout the year, as Kohli led the Men in Blue to ODI victories in South Africa, West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Australia. But, winning the historic Test series Down Under, clearly, was the highlight as India wrote a new chapter in the history of the game. For a cricket frenzy nation, this is a matter of great pride and celebration. Nobody doubts Kohli's perseverance and passion. He has pushed the nation to move beyond the legacy of Tendulkar with his repeated masterclass performances. Though Sachin remains the legend that cricket will always revere, Kohli has garnered the unanimously pronounced blue-eyed boy reputation. Comparisons and forecasts have already surfaced with many touting him to overtake the little master. The confidence India gets when Kohli takes the field is synonymous to when Sachin used to grace the pitch. A hat-trick of awards means he gets to start the new calendar year on a high, not that he would not have otherwise. It is under his leadership that India overcame the all-time perilous state of weak bowling. The impeccable bowling prowess that India has developed can be singled out as the top factor for India's thriving run. Even Dhoni did not achieve that, despite having a glittering career himself. India would simply not have believed it would get a better captain than Dhoni – but here we are. Kohli has all the ingredients of being the leader India needs with an unwavering commitment to succeed overseas coupled with non-negotiable fitness precursors. He has brilliantly led India on the roadmap to cricketing success in 2018 and hindsight alone stands testimony to it, if not the trident of awards.