Subhayan Chakraborty in Sydney
India didn’t win the three-match ODI series against Australia, but avoided a whitewash after winning the third game by nine wickets, courtesy an unbeaten 168-run partnership between Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. While Rohit registered his 33rd ODI century, Kohli, with his unbeaten 74, became the second-highest run-scorer in ODI cricket. Despite India losing the series, the scenes outside the SCG were of absolute bedlam.
After the high of witnessing Ro-Ko turning the clock back on the field, fans brought out the drums and trumpets to celebrate a perfect farewell for the duo on Australian soil. ‘Bhangra’ with ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ was a common theme among thousands of fans, including a few Aussies, as they danced outside the SCG. It felt like India had won a World Cup.
With Kohli registering two consecutive ducks, and Rohit, despite scoring 73 in Adelaide, there was a sense of nervousness among fans before the start of the game. Though optimistic, many feared the worst. What if this was the last international match for both? What if Kohli scored a hat-trick of ducks? Sydney had not been kind to Rohit and Kohli the last time they were in the city, for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year. While the then-Test captain Rohit was dropped from the XI, Kohli scored 17 and 6 in what was his final appearance in Test cricket.
However, nine and a half months after that debacle, Kohli and Rohit ensured the SCG crowd was treated to a masterclass. After Josh Hazlewood dismissed Shubman Gill in the 11th over, the entire SCG stood up to welcome Kohli to the middle. Kohli’s first run got a loud cheer, and he himself celebrated it with a fist pump. By then, Rohit had already hyped up the crowd with a few stellar shots. Every run, every boundary, and every moment shared by Ro-Ko was cheered by the crowd. The noise was deafening when Rohit completed his half-century and later his hundred. The decibels rose further when Kohli got to his half-century. When the duo hugged each other to celebrate the milestones, the crowd celebrated even more.
When Kohli ramped Nathan Ellis towards third man for a boundary to score the winning runs, there was a sigh of relief from the crowd of 40,580 present in the stadium. They couldn’t have wished for a better ending.
Outside the stadium, hundreds gathered as the celebrations continued for at least an hour after the winning runs were scored. There were hundreds waiting just outside the Indian dressing room to catch a final glimpse of the two at the SCG. And a few hundred waited until the team left for the team hotel. However, each one of them was smiling from ear to ear. After the low of the New Year’s Test to the high of October 25, Rohit and Kohli showed the value of never giving up.
For fans, they’ll remember it for a long, long time. As a fan summed up while dancing outside the stadium, “This is the best finish I could have wished for. This is the ending Virat and Rohit deserved on Australian soil – a country that has shown so much love to them over the years.”
While the Australia chapter comes to a close for both Kohli and Rohit, their ODI journey continues. Next up for them will be South Africa at home, starting November 30, with the first match scheduled for Ranchi, the home of MS Dhoni.
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