Virat Kohli the hothead, or Virat Kohli the gentleman: Which version will show up against Vaibhav Sooryavanshi tonight?

Irrespective of whether Virat Kohli remains fiery against or friendly with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, rest assured – the outcome will be absolute cinema.

Virat Kohli is into his 19th Indian Premier League season. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is playing only his second. Kohli, at 38, is nearing the end of his career; Sooryavanshi is just beginning. One is a legend, the other is still finding his feet. One is a champion, the other a potential one in the making. And yet, the common thread binding the two is aggression. Kohli has mastered it, while Sooryavanshi has already shown he isn’t one for a quiet demeanour. If anything, at just 15, a fiery streak is only natural. What sets him apart, though, is a sense of grounding beyond his years, a trait that could shape both his rise and the path he chooses from here.

How will Virat Kohli meet Vaibhav Sooryavanshi? (PTI Images)

Kohli and Sooryavanshi will take the field together later tonight, but under very different narratives. Perhaps for the first time in over a decade, Kohli’s popularity may be eclipsed by Sooryavanshi. For once, the spotlight may shift away from him, claimed instead by the game’s newest sensation. If there’s any player drawing more adoration than Kohli right now, it’s Sooryavanshi. And boy, he has earned every bit of it. It’s not every day that a teenager, barely a year into top-flight cricket, is already being tipped for India.

Which brings us to the question: Which version of Virat Kohli will greet Vaibhav Sooryavanshi tonight? The hothead or the gentleman? The fire still burns within Kohli. He may no longer be the brash youngster who burst onto the scene, but his competitive spirit remains intact. An institute in itself at this stage of his career, Kohli is also expected to lead with grace towards the next generation. He applauded Sarfaraz Khan after his knock for the Chennai Super Kings and was even seen playfully tugging at Ishan Kishan’s beard during the clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad. One of the defining lines from Kohli’s T20I retirement announcement – “It’s time for the next generation to take over” – underlined the regard he holds for the current crop of players.

Then again, when riled, Kohli doesn’t back down. In what turned out to be his final Test for India, Kohli came full circle, shoulder-barging a young Sam Konstas on debut. In a way, it was a fitting reminder of his glorious 15-year career, proof that somewhere deep within, the rebel refuses to die. If that wasn’t enough, a couple of incidents from last year’s IPL underlined the same. Kohli’s animated celebration in front of Shreyas Iyer sparked tension, and although it wasn’t clear if he referred to Musheer Khan as a waterboy, he certainly reminded Harpreet Brar that he knew his coach after sensing the bowler had a go at him.

If needled, Kohli will give it back

Virat Kohli doesn’t take kindly to provocation, irrespective of whether he is a father of two, a regular visitor to Sri Premanand Maharaj, or “Virat bhaiya” to his juniors. Push him, and he will push back. And that’s where Sooryavanshi comes in. He has already shown he can unsettle even the best. Against the Mumbai Indians, he left Jasprit Bumrah flustered and Rohit Sharma visibly frustrated with his audacity. Even captain Hardik Pandya seemed momentarily frozen. The damage Sooryavanshi inflicts is often mental; and in this sport, there is no assault more decisive than the one that gets inside the opponent’s head.

World cricket has been taken aback by the Sooryavanshi storm. Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag have all, at some point, spoken about him. The only two modern greats yet to do so are Kohli and Rohit. The reasons could be many; they are still active players, but Kohli’s silence, in particular, only adds intrigue to the showdown.

The Rajasthan Royals recently shared a clip of Sooryavanshi being greeted by his India A captain from last year, Jitesh Sharma. Yet neither Kohli nor Rohit has had any visible interaction with the youngster thus far. Their paths haven’t crossed yet, but that only builds the excitement. A post-match moment between Kohli and Sooryavanshi could well be what this IPL has been waiting for. Thanks, or no thanks to rain, the Bumrah vs Sooryavanshi duel lasted just five deliveries. But if the weather holds, a Kohli-Sooryavanshi face-off could shatter social media and viewership records.

Irrespective of whether Kohli is fiery or warm, rest assured – the outcome will be… what do they call it? Right, ABSOLUTE CINEMA!