Virat Kohli is indeed a rare talent

Former Indian cricket coach Gary Kirsten recently heaped praises on Virat Kohli, stating he always knew that the Indian batsman would grow into a great cricketer. Kohli has developed into a fantastic player and looks good to cement his place in India’s all-time great list.With Indian captain MS Dhoni not getting any younger and senior players being phased out, Kohli looks set to take charge of the Indian cricket team in the near future, if not immediately. Here are some reasons why Kohli would be able to fulfill his cricketing duties successfully and serve Indian cricket for long:Extraordinary batsman: Kohli has proved time and again that he is an excellent stroke-maker who can make any bowling attack go down on its knees. He has also shown the ability to tone down his game to suit the demand of the situation.His records in ODI format is beyond comparison. Some of his ODI knocks are a  treat to watch. His century against Sri Lanka in the CB series of 2012 Down Under was pleasing to the eyes as he led India to victory in a stiff chase.His brief career in Test cricket has also made headlines. He was the only Indian batsman to hit a century in the disastrous Australian tour of 2011. His century in the fourth Test against England in the home series where Kohli curbed his natural style of play for the cause of the team was indeed praiseworthy.Fearless attitude: Kohli is never one to take anything lying down. He is more like in the mould of former Indian cricketer Sourav Ganguly and likes to pay back the opposition in equal measure. And he’s not one to shy away from challenges. He faces them with all his might and has come out triumphs with alarming regularity.While seniors players during the Australian series in 2012 was falling like pack of cards, with reputation smashed to pieces, Kohli, despite being heckled by the Australian crowds, replied with a defiant century that silenced all detractors who questioned his ability in the longer version of the game. And he has used this fearless attitude judiciously for the benefit of the team over the years, by putting up match-winning knocks consistently.Aggressive captaincy: It’s a foregone conclusion that Kohli is the next in line for the Indian captaincy once Dhoni decides to part with the skipper’s role. And in the limited opportunity he has received to lead India, Kohli has done satisfactorily, if not brilliantly.India was on the verge of getting knocked out of the tri-series in the Caribbean in July and had lost Dhoni, both as a player and captain, due to a hamstring injury.  Kohli then took upon himself to resurrect the fortunes of India, by leading India to important wins in the last two league matches of the series.Kohli led from the front by scoring a vital century against the West Indies in the league match. And India went on to win that series. Although the win wouldn’t have been possible without Dhoni’s superhero’s efforts in the final, it was Kohli’s captaincy that eventually put India into the title round.Besides, Kohli also had a decent outing as captain for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the last edition of IPL but just felt short as luck played spoilsport.Killer instinct: Kohli has been playing international cricket for five years and the young batsman is just 24 years old. His youth is his biggest advantage as the young blood gives him the strength to go all the way out to reach out to his goals.He first tasted success during the U-19 World Cup and there has been no looking back since then. Not only has he established as the most trusted batsman in the Indian cricket team, but also one of the most vital cog in India's scheme of things. His penchant to go for the kill has been noticed time and again during his ODI knocks.Kohli has never rested after scoring a hundred, but continued on fearlessly to slam the door on the oppositions. More than 90 per cent of his ODI hundreds have come while chasing and quite a few of them had been unbeaten knocks that speaks clearly of his desire to land that knock-out punch on the opposition teams.With these attributes, Kohli looks certain to carve his own place in the Indian cricket history.