Shamik Chakrabarty, Vadodara
About a month-and-a-half ago, as Virat Kohli returned to play international cricket in India after a substantial gap, he was under pressure. An unbeaten half-century and a match-winning partnership with Rohit Sharma in the final ODI against Australia in Sydney had given the two senior citizens of the team some breathing space, but doubts remained. Can they go on until the 2027 World Cup? Can Rohit and Kohli, who now play in only one format, have a second wind?
Rohit had changed his approach in white-ball cricket a couple of years ago, at the 2023 World Cup. But Kohli stuck to his playing the situations mastery. Why would he change? Someone who has scored a humongous amount of runs and centuries in 50-over cricket, his playing style was part of his muscle memory. Embracing a new method in the twilight of his career was tough, nigh on impossible apparently. He likes to milk the bowlers during the early part of his innings in the ODIs. Singles and twos are his staple diet while setting up an innings in this format. He still runs faster than his teammates — only Ravindra Jadeja can give him a competition — between the wickets. Any change would have also meant Kohli must eschew his ego.
In the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi, Aiden Markram, the stand-in Proteas captain, kept the close-in fielders — mid-off, mid-on, cover and mid-wicket — at least 10 yards inside the circle when Kohli came out to bat. The idea was to stop the singles and make the batsman gasp for runs. Kohli went aerial. He scored 135 off 120 balls. The innings had seven sixes.
Cut to the first ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara on Sunday. The first 20 balls he faced, Kohli hit six fours. Welcome to Virat Kohli 2, at 37 years of age. This version presents him as an enforcer rather than an accumulator.
“If we were batting first, I would have gone harder,” Kohli told the host broadcaster at the post-match presentation after winning the Player of the Match award in Vadodara. “The experience does kick in, but the main thing was to get the team ahead and to a winning position. The basic idea is I bat at No. 3 and if the situation is tricky, I try to counter-attack without playing outrageous shots. I felt today, we can string in a quick partnership in the first 20 balls.”
The mind raced back to the early 1980s, when a certain Sunil Gavaskar did something similar as he decided to enjoy his batting. Malcolm Marshall, arguably the greatest fast bowler in the history of the game and God bless his soul, was hooked over long leg for a six at Feroz Shah Kotla. For the previous 10 years, Gavaskar had given the shot a storage dump for the sake of the team. Generational players cannot be defined by common logic.
Yes, in the South Africa series and the first match against New Zealand placid pitches were laid out. The Proteas’ pace attack was depleted without Kagiso Rabada. The Kiwis, too, have come here minus their frontline fast bowlers. But you only play what is in front of you. So don’t nitpick. Enjoy it while it lasts.
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