The jury is out on whether he is the "new god of cricket" but coaching centres in Calcutta have given their verdict: Virat Kohli is the player every young cricketer aspires to be.

Batsmen imitate his stance and strokes, bowlers invoke his temperament and coaches replay videos of him batting to help their wards understand and imbibe what it takes to become a top cricketer.

When Diganta Neogi of Mainland Sambaram Cricket Academy unleashed a cover drive during a CAB under-17 league match at Salt Lake's FC Block on Wednesday, his teammates watching from the sidelines screamed "Virat!! Virat!!" along with the routine "Go boy!" and "Played!! Played!!".

LIFT, CUT AND DRIVE... FROM THE BOOK OF KOHLI

The Virat Age had dawned, just as the Sachin Tendulkar Era had arrived many years ago.

Of the 20-odd teenaged cricketers that this reporter spoke to on Wednesday, everyone said Virat was their new role model. Until a few months ago, the answer would have been Sachin.

So, what is it about Virat that makes so many budding cricketers want to be like him, on and off the field? Metro highlights the phenomenon.

Technique

Cricket columnist Gideon Haigh says batsman Virat "puts the cricket back into T20" and the coaches know they have a failsafe mantra in "Bat like Virat Kohli!".

"Virat's stance is compact and his decision-making fast. He has shown that if you have a sound technique, you can even play slightly away from the body, for example the spanking cover drive he plays rotating his wrists to get the placement right," said former Bengal captain Sambaran Banerjee, who runs the Mainland Sambaran Cricket Academy.

His ward Diganta, who opens for the Bengal under-16 team, has even changed his batting stance - spreading out the feet a bit more - in a bid to emulate Virat.

His new stance, Diganta said, had made it easier for him to play all around the wicket. "I have also been practising the square drive the way Virat plays it - opening the face of the bat to place the ball to the left of point."

Diganta's teammates said Virat's tireless running between the wickets had inspired them to practise harder and become fitter.

In the craze to emulate Indian cricket's current batting sensation, Sanjay Das, coach of the Videocon School of Cricket, sounds a warning: "Virat is a genius and it is difficult to copy his game."

His advice? Copy his mindset.

Temperament

Budding cricketers are not only in awe of Virat's batting style, they are just as enchanted with his ability to tame targets time and again from difficult situations like in the World T20 matches against Pakistan and Australia.

"His (Virat) commitment is mind boggling.... He takes responsibility regularly when other batsmen are failing. Sachin was my role model all these years but now it's Virat. His consistency is unbelievable," said Joshua Ben Ozukum of the Mohammedan Sporting junior team, who bats at number three like his idol.

His teammates Chinmay Jain, Rahul Singh and Abhishek Yadav said Sachin was the cricketer they had all wanted to be until a few months ago. Now the bat stops at Virat.

Daibik Banerjee, 14, who plays second-division cricket for Howrah Union, said he had long believed that no batsman was more reliable in a crisis than Virat. "When India lost three wickets early against Pakistan and Yuvraj (Singh) was limping, my parents had lost hope. But I knew Virat would get us home," Daibik, a student of DPS Megacity, said.

Bowlers

Virat the batsman is inspiring bowlers, too, with his immense self-belief and discipline.

Left-arm spinner Sahil Bansal of Mohammedan Sporting recalled how during a recent match he was getting some stick and he thought about how Virat would have dealt with it.

"I stayed calm and stuck to my line and length even in the face of an onslaught by the batters. I was able to contain the runs after that," said the student of Assembly of God Church School.

His bowling teammate Abhishek said he had learnt how to mix outward aggression with inner calm by watching Virat go through various situations.

Video analysis

Cricketer-turned-coach Sambaran shows his wards videos of Virat after practice sessions, trying to drill into them the specifics of technique and temperament that allow him to "play like a dream".

Virat's shot selection is invariably among the first things that coaches speak to the players about.

"Shot selection is a problem with someone as talented as Rohit Sharma, which is why he lacks consistency. But Virat is on the ball most of the time. I ask the boys to notice how soon he makes up his mind what shot to play and then how fast he transfers his weight onto the back or front foot, depending on that decision," Sambaran, also a former national selector, said.

The other aspects of his game that are routinely analysed at coaching centres in town include how he plans run chases, his speed between the wickets and how he can score off even good balls.

Siddhant Kumar, who plays for the Videocon School of Cricket, said his coaches would always refer to Virat while explaining the importance of concentration. "Virat's major innings prove that you can score quickly without playing scoops and switch hits, although we don't discourage such shots because you need to score quickly and not everyone has Virat's class," said Bilas Laha, coach of the Mohammedan Sporting junior team.

Style

Virat's undercut - the hairstyle he has been sporting for some time - fascinates the young cricketer as much as his cover drive inspires envy. Chinmay of Mohammedan Sporting said he tries to follow how the "Delhi Dude" carries himself off the field because "just about every girl is so fond of everything Virat Kohli!"