Virat Kohli is back, and heโs back with a bang! A sensational century in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 has silenced criticsโat least for now. But letโs be honest, Kohli has never been just a cricketer; heโs a phenomenon.
And with that status comes an unreal level of scrutiny. When Kohli scores a hundred, itโs business as usual. But when he doesnโt? Oh boy, the knives are out.
The Djokovic-Federer-Nadal Comparison
Recently, cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar offered an interesting perspective on Kohliโs journey. He compared Kohli to tennis icons Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal.
You know how it goes with those three. If they donโt win a Grand Slam, people say theyโre out of formโeven if they make it to the semi-finals. Gavaskar pointed out that Kohli faces the same expectations. Scores of 70 or 80, which would make most players ecstatic, are seen as failures for Kohli.
โWe are used to him scoring hundreds in international cricket, and when he doesnโt, people say heโs out of form,โ Gavaskar explained.
Itโs a double-edged sword. The very consistency that made Kohli a modern-day great now works against him when he falls short of his own sky-high standards.
From Criticism to Comeback
Letโs rewind a bit. Kohli wasnโt exactly at his best during the previous Test series against New Zealand. He managed just 93 runs in six innings. The chatter around his place in the Test team grew louder, with whispers that his spot could be in jeopardy if he didnโt deliver in Australia.
But hereโs the thing about Virat Kohli โ he thrives under pressure. With the world watching, he walked into the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and delivered a masterclass, silencing the critics in the most Kohli-like way possible.
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This isnโt just about Kohliโs form; itโs about the price of being a legend. When youโre as good as Kohli, people stop comparing you to others and start comparing you to your own peak. Thatโs why a 70 or 80 from Kohli feels like a letdown to fans whoโve grown accustomed to seeing him churn out centuries like a well-oiled machine.
And this isnโt limited to cricket. As Gavaskar pointed out, Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal face similar criticism. When youโre at the top, even the smallest dip looks like a free fall.
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