India was up against it as day five at the Gabba slowly dawned on us. Australia had set a target of 328 and, on a wearing pitch, were overwhelming favourites to close out the series 2–1. The ball had started to misbehave from the cracks, and it was going to be a serious test of India’s batsmen against the likes of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazelwood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon. Maybe it was on an impulse that we sent a message to Virat Kohli. How good would it have been had Kohli been there on day five to bat at No. 4 for India?
India’s best batsman for years, he has the skill and pluck to stand up against a hostile fast bowling attack in alien conditions and, more importantly, is a figure of strength in the dressing room. Also, the way he had batted against the pink ball in the first innings at Adelaide was proof of his class, and his presence at the Gabba would have given the team that much more comfort going into the final day of the series.
Within minutes of sending the message, Kohli replied saying that India had the batsmen to do the job, and that this was the day the team had been waiting for. He said it did not matter if he was there or not, for the men who were at the Gabba were all capable of making history. Kohli, it was clear, was present in Brisbane in his absence.
At The Oval, he is there in flesh and blood. And he knows the dressing room is looking at him. Not out in the 40s, he has looked composed and determined. Played some glorious shots as well. Yes, it is a tall ask. A monumental task. But then, there is Kohli, and it’s a run chase. Could it well be the greatest run chase from the best chaser ever?
Sample this from Kohli in 2019 after India had lost the World Cup semi-final to New Zealand in Manchester in July. He was dismissed for one by an incoming Trent Boult delivery, a ball that television replays showed was clipping the top of the stump. The decision could have gone either way, and it was unfortunate for Kohli and India that the umpire’s dreaded finger had gone up.
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“Honestly, when we went to the World Cup, I had this very strong feeling in my heart that the team would need me in some game, and it would be a chase, and I swear I had this feeling so strong that I am going to come not out at the end of the game and take India through that rough phase,” he said. “And I really felt strongly that was the game [semi-final vs New Zealand]. When I walked out to bat, I knew this is the game, but maybe that was my ego talking because how can you predict something like that? You can only have a strong feeling, or maybe it was a strong desire of mine. But it did not turn out that way. My dismissal was really disappointing for me. This wasn’t because I hadn’t scored. It was because I had failed to contribute to the team, and we had lost a match that we should have won.”
Kohli, who by his own admission hates losing, had a rather interesting take on dealing with failure. “It is not easy,” he said. “If you ask me, do I get affected by failure? Yes, I do. Everyone does. I am human at the end of the day. It is difficult to process failure on the big stage. But you have to understand that I totally believe in the fact that what’s meant for you will happen. “
Success and failure are a part of everything that we do in life. Whether it is sport or daily life, it is the truth of life and you need to accept both with grace. That’s the thing I have learnt. You can’t say I am the king of the world when you succeed, or we are invincible now, and when you fail, you beat yourself down so much that you can’t wake up again.
“In fact, failure is a great way to analyse what went wrong and to improve on those. Cricket is all about that. Life is all about that. Making a mistake and having the courage and clarity to say, okay, I have made a mistake is most important. I will not be egoistic about it. Rather, I will rectify the mistake and walk forward.”
He failed in 2019. His team failed at the World T20 in Australia in 2022. But as is the beauty of sport, it always offers another opportunity. And to a true devotee, the greatest opportunity of all is at The Oval on Day 5 of the WTC final.
At Chepauk in 2008, Sachin Tendulkar scripted history for India, scoring a century as India chased down 387 against England just days after the 26/11 terror attacks. He still rates it as one of his most impactful knocks. Can Kohli do a Tendulkar on Sunday, and play his best Test innings? By doing so, he would win India a first ICC trophy in 10 years in miraculous circumstances. With Kohli, you never know, and a billion will hope that his 2019 dream comes true in 2023.
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