Something new is in the air today, as Virat Kohli celebrates his birthday. Similar to how Kohli differs from other people. He might be at his best again at this point, making up for three years of lost time.

Virat Kohli has quietly and very differently celebrated his birthdays in the past.

In 2020, Kohli’s birthday was more about starting a new chapter in his life—becoming a father—than it was about him usually being on the road. Virat’s birthday was more about someone else for him because, probably for the first time in his life, his wife Anushka Sharma was pregnant with their first child. In the year 2021, Kohli was arguably at his lowest point in his career just before his birthday. India were eliminated from the T20 World Cup, his final tournament as T20I captain, two days after his 33rd birthday. A little over a month later, the BCCI informed Kohli that he was no longer required as India’s ODI captain, which added insult to injury. This was not Kohli’s expected birthday present for India’s batter with the most victories in the past decade.

To make matters worse, Kohli was struggling to score in the double digits, let alone the fifties, after going two years without a century. When 2022 started, it was thought that Kohli, the champion, would get over his bad form. But things got worse. The Test normal dipped under 50 interestingly as a record-fixated country saw Kohli’s go wrong… their superhuman, their Lord decreased to being a human.”How many new ways are you going to find to get me out?” was the expression on the man’s face as he looked up at the heavens, the man who had previously conjured hundreds for amusement during the IPL, in a heart breaking spectacle. He lost his form and his runs became dry.

However, as the saying goes, “Tough times have an expiration date”;

Despite the fact that Kohli’s phase lasted longer than anyone anticipated, it is over. The old Kohli has returned on his 34th birthday, and he intends to reclaim his position as king. Kohli is dominating the charts in what could be his final T20 World Cup. Kohli is putting on a show that will be remembered, just like he did in the Asia Cup, when he scored 273 runs to become India’s top run-scorer of the tournament. He has scored over 200 runs in four matches at an average that is similar to Bradman’s.

All three of Kohli’s innings so far have produced distinct figures.In the match against the Netherlands, Kohli demonstrated the ideal batting pattern on a sluggish pitch, while in the match against Pakistan, he started slowly and cautiously on 12 of 21 before entering GOD mode. Kohli made it very clear when he came to bat in the game against Bangladesh that he wanted to go after the bowlers, and he did so with complete confidence. Nothing Kohli tried in England for four months was successful.He cannot make a mistake today. This is the same man who had trouble scoring runs.

The Kohli of 2016 is still the best, but 2017 and 2018 were just more of the same.However, after those three chaotic years, this Kohli version is the closest to exhibiting the same class, authority, and conviction.Virat took some time to put the captaincy and Sourav Ganguly saga behind him, but now that he has, Kohli has a calmness that is almost surreal and monk-like—not a trait that is synonymous with him.

In terms of not only superstardom but also batting accolades, Kohli was India’s successor to the great Sachin Tendulkar for a considerable amount of time. When Kohli scored his 43rd ODI century in August 2019, it appeared as though the formidable Tendulkar would soon fall from prominence. The entire world is still waiting three years later. To tell you the truth, it might no longer occur. Six centuries may be too much for the talismanic star batsman at the age of 34, given the importance of workload management and Kohli’s absence as captain. The good thing about this, though, is that it gives Kohli a fresh perspective on his life and work. Even if he does not surpass Tendulkar, Kohli’s legacy will still be that of the greatest India batsman and Test captain of this era. Records were never his thing.

Even if we ignore Kohli’s remarkable performance at the World Cup for a moment, a great deal more about Virat the batsman emerges.Kohli appears to be at peace, despite the three half-centuries, the nearly impossible six off Haris Rauf, and the aggressive facial expressions.At the point when he was going through a break, one of the stunning viewpoints about Kohli’s batting was his uncommon slip by in focus. A century was nearly certain when Kohli was at his peak before his decline, when he reached fifty. However, Kohli was frequently dismissed between 50 and 100 times between 2020 and June 2022, which was extremely troubling. Now that the game is over, Virat hasn’t made a single mistake or dropped a catch. Kohli’s class is pure elegance.

Kohli also appears to be much more at ease off the field.In Australia, Kohli has instead encouraged people to approach him and get pictures taken with him—stills in which Kohli is smiling more than the person with him. He no longer gets agitated by repeated requests for selfies. His blossoming bromance with Suryakumar Yadav and his newly discovered friendship with captain Rohit Sharma complete the picture. Watching this Zen-like Virat has given this writer the confidence to break his hesitation about asking Kohli the difficult questions in press conferences following an India defeat.

India plays on Sunday, but a lot of fans have already gathered in Melbourne to see their hero on his birthday. To captivate them, don’t be surprised if Kohli makes an appearance resembling SRK. However, Virat would be aware of the bigger picture—India’s match against Zimbabwe, which, if India wins, will guarantee them a spot in the semi-finals—while he takes in all the praise for his birthday. When India won the World Cup in 2011, Kohli, then 22, was young and full of promise. He is still a legend and one of the most famous sports figures in the world eleven years later. Except for one, India have lost all eight ICC tournaments Kohli has participated in, some of which he captained.

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However, something new is in the air this time around. Similar to how Kohli differs from others.This could well be Kohli hitting his pinnacle indeed, compensating for a long time’s worth of lost time. Furthermore, what a recovery story it would come full circle into in the event that the Ruler gives India its Reality Cup crown before a pressed MCG.

Virat, happy birthday! Also, we missed you, so welcome back!