NEW DELHI: It was a decade spent by cricket fans celebrating the enigma named Virat Kohli as the extraordinary Indian captain shattered all records and finished at the pinnacle of virtually every possible milestone in 50-over cricket.
Kohli left his mark in every format be it Tests, ODIs or T20s over the past decade which has seen him outgrow his competitors and take giant strides.
But arguably the world's best batsman saved his best for one-day cricket where he had the most number of runs (11,125), most hundreds (42), most Man of the Match (35) and Series (7) awards and most catches (117) among others.
Kohli also played the most number of matches (227) which goes to show his supreme fitness, something he prides himself on.
"Having done it so many times, you obviously have a bit more calmness and you understand how the dew is playing and all you need is a short partnership. From there the opposition usually crumbles. It was outstanding to see others finishing the game. Honestly, when I got out I had a nervous phase, but I looked back at Jaddu and he looked confident. They just changed the game in three overs. Watching from outside is way more difficult," Kohli said after India won the three-match ODI series against the West Indies 2-1.
Kohli top-scored with a match-winning 85 and once again added to his stock as the ultimate finisher of this decade. India won by four wickets to finish the year on a high. The skipper also spoke about how this year has panned out and also about the pain of not being able to win the 2019 World Cup in England. India lost to New Zealand in the semi-final.
"2019 has been one of the best years for Indian cricket. Apart from the 30 minutes in the World Cup, it's been a great year. We'll keep chasing that ICC trophy. But apart from that, the way we've played has been satisfying. Having a bunch of fast bowlers who can bowl out any opposition anywhere -- them taking the attention away from the spinners in India is a huge achievement," he added.