I have written far too many times that the 241 not out in Sydney in 2004 is my favorite Sachin Tendulkar innings. The reason is simple. It was very un-Sachin like, to say the least. He, at no point, let his ego take over. He allowed modest bowlers to sledge and get away, and never lost resolve. Ahead of the game, he had promised his brother Ajit that he’d not play and get out to a ball pitched wide outside off stump. In the ten hours that he batted, he did not. And that’s what brings me to Virat Kohli.
After the dismal 2014 tour of England, Kohli visited Sachin to help sort his problems out. They spent a week together and much was done. All Kohli needs to do is go back and see what Sachin did in 2004. Just decide what shots he’d not play, rather than deciding what he’d play. And then, just stay away from playing those shots. That Kohli has self-discipline is well known. His fitness cult is testimony. If he tries to similarly control his mind and just stay true to his own resolve, the trap currently being laid out for him will be nullified. And that’s where he can take a leaf out of Tendulkar’s book.
In that innings of 241, Sachin did not look great. Rather, he looked ugly at times. But that’s what was the need of the hour. You don’t need to dominate. You need to let the bowlers do all they can in the first hour with the new ball and just play within yourself. And once the ball is 25-30 overs old, you can indeed start to change gears. By trying to dominate from ball one, Shubman Gill, Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal have all thrown their wickets away. That’s what Sachin did not do, and hence his 241 could be India’s bible for this tour.
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Sample this from Sachin, of what transpired before that Sydney Test match. “I had also had a long conversation with Ajit, and one challenge he put in front of me was to try to remain not out in both innings,” he said. “He said that I was allowing myself to get out to bowlers, rather than making them have to take my wicket, and that if I decided to rein myself in, no bowler would be able to get me out. I took up the challenge and decided to play a waiting game. Even if I looked ugly in the middle I was intent on sticking to my plan. Having got out twice in the series playing aggressive shots, I was simply not going to try anything extravagant at the SCG.
“True to my promise, I played what was in some ways one of my most difficult Test innings. I consciously checked my shots and was determined not to get out. In more than ten hours at the crease I did not play a single cover drive. When the Australian bowlers cracked a few jokes at my expense I remained focused. It was a real test. Even when balls were there for the drive, I let them go. It was all totally against my natural instincts and it left me drained but immensely satisfied. At the end of our first innings, I was not out on 241 and had taken the team score past 700.”
If it was Ajit who asked Sachin, it could well be Anushka Sharma for Kohli. Either way, there is no reason why Kohli can’t check his ego and lead the turnaround. Finally, many are saying he is past his prime. If Steve Smith and Joe Root, almost the same age, can have a second lease of life, why can’t Kohli? It is time for him to do a Sachin and make amends.
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