He is the best batter in the history of 50-over men’s cricket when it comes to the second innings. He plotted and executed some monumental chases. He stood there till the end, ran crazily throughout and made sure that the result was achieved.
Virat Kohli played probably his best and most significant first-innings knock at Eden Gardens against South Africa in this World Cup match. A world-record-equalling 49th century on his 35th birthday in the grandest of matches of the competition yet, at possibly the most charming of cricket venues, where he made his first international century! The stars could not have aligned better.
It was only appropriate that the landmark shot was one of his favourites, a drive towards cover, although not the most fluent one. What made it most memorable was that it did not go for a boundary. Kohli had to run that single. It is how he has defined and redefined modern-day one-day batting. You run for your runs. How coincidentally apt, then, was that!
It’s no coincidence, however, that he averages 65.49 batting second and 51.15 when his team bat first. Not only because of that, but taking into account the occasion, the situation of the match and the value of this 121-ball 101 not out in the context of everything, it was a towering effort — higher than the floodlight towers which remained silent witnesses to a milestone of magnificent proportions.
Kohli batted out of his skin in what is turning out to be one of the biggest World Cup contributions from a batter ever. He did that in 2019 as well, but there were no centuries and therefore, no trumpeting. After the manic start that India got off to in this game, it was essential for someone to be there for as long as possible to ensure that the eventual total matched the early bravado.
It was a tough pitch to bat on. The ball was gripping, making the spinners effective and because the ball was gripping, hitting the seam was going to make the fast bowlers influential as well. Someone had to fathom that right then and go about the task. There will be no better example of how to do it than what was seen at this famous venue.
It’s not about bossing bowlers and making it obvious. It’s a cat-and-mouse game, where you give some and take some. Accept that the conditions are not always going to be in your favour. It’s in times like this that the character of a batter is seen. There were no sixes in this innings. Kohli knew it was the time to eschew instinct and be a hard-nosed grafter.
That he has been doing this with spectacular consistency over 15 years is the story. This is no flash-in-the-pan activity. It requires extreme concentration and willpower, not just the power of the willow. He knows better than the bowlers anticipate how to play the big shots. When the situation demands, he does not play those shots and runs, runs, runs. This is an incredible testament to a player’s commitment to fitness and hard work. The riches are an after-effect.
It is well-known how he destroys the opposition by batting second. This century was a display of how he can construct an innings. This is an overlooked aspect of this batter who belongs to the legion of ODI greats if he is not the greatest. That this century and everything else surrounding it happened in a blockbuster of a no-contest was the clincher. Kohli made it a one-team show.