New Delhi: They say it is difficult to forget your first love. The innocence, the excitement and the memories. Most of us who grew up in the 90s, an era that coincided with the boom in sports broadcast in India, fell in love with the boy-wonder Sachin Tendulkar.
We had heard stories about that great victory in 1983, when almost instantaneously, cricket became a religion for India. A sport that continues to bind this nation of myriad faiths and religions in one thread even today.
But we did not need to rely on stories alone to fall in love with cricket, because we had a genius writing new manuscripts on the cricket field every time he stepped on to it.
So, on 16th November 2013, when Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar said good-bye to the game he had lived for, all of his 40 years till then, something came to an end within all of us. We knew we will not get to watch Sachin bat again. Those flowing cover-drives, that trademark flick off the pads, that beaming smile whenever an opposition wicket fell and above all, the chant Sachin,Sachin.
But we had the memories, something that no one could take away from us. Sachin was and will remain our first love. But hey, that doesn't stop us from experiencing the same feeling again.
While Sachin was conquering the world, another boy was dreaming of emulating his feats as he grew from strength to strength as a batsman in the national capital.
Virat Kohli's rise was meteoric. From captaining the U-19 Indian team to World Cup victory to becoming the first Indian batsman to score a century on World Cup debut, Kohli had taken giant strides to make himself a permanent fixture in the Indian national team.
And it didn't take long for the boy from Delhi to establish himself as the mainstay of India's batting as the baton was passed on to the new generation.
And Virat has been on a mission to do what the 'Master' did, win matches for Team India. It isn't fair to compare different eras but some might agree with me when I say that Kohli might well have surpassed Sachin, in his ability to guide India to victory in crunch situations in limited overs cricket.
But then, there are several intangibles that need to be taken into account while comparing two individuals and the knocks they have played. So let's not compare and just be happy that Virat Kohli has managed to equal Sachin Tendulkar's record of most centuries scored by a batsman in successful run chases in one-day international cricket.
Virat's unbeaten knock of 154 was the 14th time he had scored a ton in successful run chases in ODIs. Sachin too had scored the same number of tons.
Virat's 14 tons though have come in just 59 innings, while Sachin achieved his 14 tons in 124 innings. Pakistan's Saeed Anwar and Sri Lankans Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sanath Jayasuriya are next with 9 centuries in successful ODI run chases.
Here's a list of Kohli's 14 centuries in successful run chases.
1) 107 vs Sri Lanka, Kolkata, December 2009: India chased down Sri Lanka's total of 315 in 48.1 overs
This was Virat's 14th ODI and he came into bat at 23/2 after Sehwag & Tendulkar were dismissed. Virat showed great maturity to string together a 224-run stand with fellow Delhi batsman Gautam Gambhir, which put India on the path to victory.
2) 102* vs Bangladesh, Dhaka, January 2010: India chased down Bangladesh's total of 247 in 43 overs
The target wasn't big enough but the pitch wasn't the easiest to bat on. Kohli, who came in to bat in the 12th over, held the innings together even as he played shots in all parts of the park. His unbeaten 102 in just 95 balls guided Team India to an easy victory.
3) 118 vs Australia, Vizag, October 2010: India chased down Australia's total of 289 in 48.5 overs
Australia's Clint McKay had sent back the India openers early and Kohli was yet again under pressure to play a long innings to put the chase back on track. Kohli put together a 137-run stand with Yuvraj Singh and got India back in the reckoning. While Yuvraj departed in the 34th over, Kohli carried on and shared an 84-run stand with Raina to all but take India to a win. By the time Kohli was dismissed, victory was in sight and was duly achieved.
4) 112* vs England, New Delhi, October 2011: India chased down England's total of 237 in 36.4 overs
The bowlers had set the stage for India to complete an easy win, but Kohli and Gambhir were in a mood to turn it into a rout. Kohli went on a rampage, hitting 16 boundaries to stay unbeaten on 112 in just 98 deliveries as India overhauled the target in the 37th over.
5) 117 vs West Indies, Vizag, December 2011: India chased down West Indies's total of 269 in 48.1 overs
The Windies had put up a challenging total and their bowlers made the chase even more stiff for India by reducing the hosts to 84/3. But Kohli was in no mood to throw in the towel as he put his head down to string together a 163-run stand with Rohit Sharma to pave the way for an Indian win.
6) 133* vs Sri Lanka, Hobart, February 2012: India chased down Sri Lanka's total of 320 in 36.4 overs
This was the knock that showed the world Virat Kohli's destructive powers as a batsman and the full array of shots that the man possessed. India needed a massive boost to their run-rate if they were to stand a chance to enter the final of the tri-nation tournament in Australia. But Sri Lanka piled on a massive total batting first. Just when everything seemed lost, Virat Kohli hit top gear. Dispatching bowlers like Lasith Malinga to all parts of the Bellerive Oval, Kohli hit 16 boundaries and 2 sixes to take India to an improbable win in just 36.4 overs. Kohli stayed unbeaten on 133.
7) 183 vs Pakistan, Mirpur, March 2012: India chased down Pakistan's total of 329 in 47.5 overs
India met Pakistan in the Asia Cup after an unexpected loss against Bangladesh in the previous match. Pakistani batsmen piled on the misery on the Indian bowlers by scoring a total well in excess of 300. It was do-or-die for India. In came Virat Kohli and played the innings of his one-day international career. Virat made mincemeat of the Pakistani attack as he scored a career-best 183 in just 148 balls. His knock, studded with 22 boundaries and a six, was the cornerstone of yet another memorable Indian victory over Pakistan.
8) 128* vs Sri Lanka, Colombo, July 2012: India chased down Sri Lanka's total of 251 in 42.2 overs
India needed a victory to seal the series, but a relatively easy chase became tricky as the 'men in blue' were 3 wickets down for just 60 runs on the board. By now Sri Lanka knew about Virat Kohli's ability to bat under pressure and take India home from precarious situations. And they got a taste of the same as Kohli played a brilliantly controlled knock. Yet again the India no. 3 was unbeaten as he took the team home.
9) 115 vs Zimbabwe, Harare, July 2013: India chased down Zimbabwe's total of 228 in 44.5 overs
Yet another imperious knock, this time against a not so difficult bowling attack. But the runs still needed to be made and Virat Kohli was not going to let go of an opportunity against a team like Zimbabwe.
10) 100* vs Australia, Jaipur, October 2013: India chased down Australia's total of 359 in 43.3 overs
The Australians were in India and they had won the first ODI. India needed to bounce back but the Aussies amassed 359 on a placid Sawai Mansingh Stadium wicket. Indian openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma laid the foundation with a 176-run stand. While Rohit Sharma remained unbeaten on 141, it was a Virat Kohli blitzkrieg that stole the show. Virat was in a mood to punish the Australians as he hit 8 boundaries and 7 sixes to bring up an unbeaten ton in just 52 deliveries. The Aussies had no place to hide.
11) 115* vs Australia, Nagpur, October 2013: India chased down Australia's total of 350 in 49.3 overs
It was a feeling of deja vu for the Aussies as Virat Kohli took them apart for the second time in the series. The Aussies needed a win to clinch the series and piled up 350 while batting first. But the Indian openers gave a good start yet again. Rohit Sharma's wicket brought Kohli into the middle and he did what he does the best. Kohli's willow yielded boundary after boundary as he scored an unbeaten 116 in just 66 balls. His innings was studded with 18 fours and a six.
12) 136 vs Bangladesh, Fatullah, February 2014: India chased down Bangladesh's total of 279 in 49 overs
It was the Asia Cup again and this time Virat showcased his prowess in front of the home team. Chasing a fairly stiff target of 279, Kohli took control of the innings after the openers departed early. A 213-run partnership with Ajinkya Rahane put the India on track for victory.
13) 139* vs Sri Lanka, Ranchi, November 2014: India chased down Sri Lanka's total of 286 in 48.4 overs
Team India was looking to complete a 5-0 whitewash over the Lankans at Ranchi. But an Angelo Mathews century had given Sri Lankan bowlers a big enough total to defend. The Indian openers departed early and yet again Kohli had to build the foundation of a chase. The brilliant architect that he is, Kohli first shared a century stand with Ambati Rayudu and then took complete control of the innings. Wickets kept falling at the other end but Kohli remained calm to stay unbeaten till THE end yet again as India reached home with more than an over to spare.
14) 154* vs New Zealand, Mohali, October 2016: India chased down New Zealand's total of 285 in 48.2 overs
It took Virat Kohli almost 2 years to finally equal Sachin Tendulkar's record of 14 centuries in successful run chases. Virat shared a 151-run stand with Dhoni to put the Indian chase on track and then unleashed his power strokes to completely deflate the Kiwi attack. This was the 8th time that Virat stayed unbeaten as he guided India to victory.