An open letter to Virat Kohli

                                                                                                              Source:PTI

The rush of emotions that i feel pass out with each breath, and with my calmness i analyse the events that transpired in the Wankhede. It was a close encounter, ultimately triumphed by the Caribbean crew. A well deserved victory! 
The lasting image in my mind though, was watching you, Mr. Kohli, trying till the very end, to somehow get us through. And at the moment when social media is buzzing with people in anger cursing the no balls and other extraneous subjects, all i can feel right now is gratitude! Gratitude to you, for getting us till here.

Superlatives fail to describe your achievements over the last 5 years, let alone the last month.Your outstanding service to the profession, dedication, as well as the passion with which you go about it is deserving of supreme adoration. The spirit with which you have fought and tried to ensure the best for our nation on every occasion is no small feat; the numbers speak for themselves. But, I am not going to delve into averages and strike rates. For feelings and emotions are unquantifiable, and so is your effort. You leave everything out there on the field, let it be batting, fielding or even bowling for that matter. When the team has failed to support you, you have held their backs and pushed them forward. And we have recognized this, put you on a pedestal. 

Expectations of you are near superhero like, yet you somehow find a way to deliver. In return, some of us have publicly shamed your personal life and your dear friend Anushka Sharma, for matters that are totally unrelated. I have to admit that I'm one of those who have joined the bandwagon and laughed to these memes and jokes, and I sincerely apologize on mine and everyone’s part. They say, personal and professional lives are unrelated; your performances on and off the field ( social media, public events, etc ) have exemplified the same.

I feel gratitude that I was born in the same generation as you and witnessed your rise from your U19 World Cup days. I exclaimed with joy when my home IPL team, Royal Challengers Bangalore, secured your signature for a meagre Ten Lakh Rupees. I wish you all the best and hope you achieve some well deserved success with the outfit in the coming season. Watching you live has been one of my most memorable cricketing memories, and it is something I look forward to in the next two months.

You faced loss a year back, at the same stage of the 50 over format, and took a lot of hate for a minor blip. But you came back stronger, worked harder and the result is for all of us to see. This tournament is a stepping stone to a new era of world domination, by you! This, I'm sure of. Handling expectations of a Billion people in high pressure situations is not easy, but you have conducted yourself brilliantly on every occasion and displayed magnificence. 

They say, Humility is the hallmark of a champion,and we all got to see that side of you when you expressed gratitude to your childhood hero." Sachin Tendulkar has carried Indian cricket on his shoulders for 21 years. So it was fitting that we carried him on our shoulders after this win", you said, after the 2011 World Cup triumph. 5 years down the line, you are in his shoes, making him proud. There will come a day when the same will be said about you, if not more, and I’ll have tears in my eyes but be proud to have witnessed greatness in my generation!

Thank you, Mr. Virat Kohli