This Is Why Virat Kohli Is The Most Marketable Face In Modern Day Cricket

Over four days of cricket at the Green Park, the Kanpur crowd has made it amply clear who the prime recipient of their adulation is. Of course, it's Virat Kohli, captain of the Test team and one of the world's premier batsmen is also the most marketable face in the game.

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"Kohli, Kohli!" has been the often-repeated refrain in the stands here. When he came out to bat, the entire stadium rose to welcome him to the crease. The crowd, mostly made up of students and youngsters, have been parking themselves close to the fence which separates them from the field in the hope of catching a closer glimpse of their hero.

If Kohli chooses to field in the deep, then the fans in that area of the ground roar in joy. They would then exhort him to wave to them and maybe even say a word or two.

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Alas, his batting has twice disappointed the fans, and himself. On Sunday , he top-edged an intended sweep off off-spinner Mark Craig to Ish Sodhi at deep midwicket after making 18 off 40 balls. It was a shot which was fraught with high risk but Kohli still went for it. His body language after the dismissal betrayed his deep disappointment and frustration.

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In the first innings too, he fell for the trap immediately after Neil Wagner went to bowl over the wicket. Kohli went for the hook to a delivery angled across him and skied it to Sodhi. The fact that he gave his wicket away on both occasions when there was little pressure on him as far as the match situation was concerned would not have been lost on him.

In both innings, he came in after Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara had already laid the foundation with two century stands - 112 in the first and 133 in the second. The time was ripe for Kohli to get some runs under his belt and improve his recent home record.

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A look at his figures on home soil suggests he has under-achieved, being the premier batsman in the team. In the last eight home Tests since March 22, 2013, Kohli has managed 329 runs in 12 innings at an average of 27.41, well below his overall current average of 44.21.

If patience is the name of the game in Test cricket, especially on low, slow turners like Kanpur, then Kohli will have to rein himself in a bit because if he gets going, the opposition will have to look for cover. It seems he sometimes finds it difficult to control the urge to play at every ball. That often spells trouble for him, especially against spin.

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India have been comfortably winning Tests at home ever since Kohli has become the captain and thus his own form hasn't really impeded the team's march. Besides, most of the recent Tests matches in India have been low-scoring affairs where even a fifty has been hard to come by. Most batsmen have struggled to score including Indians.

But Kohli sets very high standards for himself and one is sure he would be stepping up soon and giving his fans moments to cherish.