Subhayan Chakraborty in Ranchi
Virat Kohli lit up Ranchi on Sunday with a scintillating 135 that earned him Player of the Match honours and powered India to a 17-run victory in the first ODI against South Africa. The 37-year-old’s knock laid the foundation for India’s imposing total of 349, which proved too steep for the visitors despite a valiant chase. With a media report suggesting that a player recently retired from Tests might be open to rethink his decision, speculations were rife whether it was Kohli. However, the batting maestro was quick to shut down the rumours while also hinting towards his future participation in domestic cricket.
The innings, coming on the back of Kohli’s continued excellence in 50-over cricket, inevitably reignited chatter about his Test retirement U-turn. Earlier this year, Kohli stunned the cricketing world by announcing his retirement from the longest format after 123 Tests, finishing agonisingly short of the 10,000-run milestone and with 30 hundreds to his name. India’s subsequent home Test series defeat to South Africa only amplified questions about whether the country’s most successful Test captain still had unfinished business in flannels.
However, any lingering hope was firmly extinguished at the post-match presentation when Harsha Bhogle directly asked the champion batter whether he intended to continue playing only ODIs. Kohli’s reply was unequivocal, the status quo would remain.
Harsha Bhogle: You’re now only playing one form of the game. Oh, by the way, is that how it’s always going to be? I thought I’d slip that in.
Virat Kohli: Yes, that’s how it’s always going to be. I’m just playing one form of the game.
On the field, Kohli looked every bit the master in full flow. After India were asked to bat first, he combined with Rohit Sharma to stitch a vintage 136-run second-wicket partnership that rolled back the years. The two modern greats traded breathtaking strokes, feeding off each other’s energy and putting the South African bowlers under relentless pressure.
Unusually aggressive from the outset, Kohli took it upon himself to exploit the Powerplay. He repeatedly charged at the fast bowlers, launching them over the infield and clearing the ropes with disdain, shots that drew roars from a packed crowd. Rohit, equally fluent, raced to a half-century of his own before falling against the run of play for 57. Kohli, though, carried on, setting up a victory that gave the hosts a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series.
With chatter around whether Kohli should play the Vijay Hazare Trophy to keep himself tuned-in to top-level cricket, the 37-year-old gave a bit of hint as to where he stands as regards to fitness and preparing for international cricket while hinting a comeback in domestic cricket is unlikely.
“I’ve played 300-odd ODI games and so much cricket over the last 15-16 years. As I said, if you’re in touch with the game and you know that when you’re hitting balls at practice, your reflexes are there, your physical ability is there to bat long,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation. “If you can bat an hour-and-a-half, two hours in the nets without taking a break, you’re kind of meeting all those markers. Yes, I understand if there’s a dip in form, you look for games and you try to get that form back. But as long as you’re hitting the ball well and you’re playing good cricket, I think at this stage with the experience that I have, for me, it’s about being physically fit, mentally ready and excited to play the games that I’m playing. And more or less, everything else should take care of itself.”
Even batting coach Sitanshu Kotak dismissed the uncertainty murmurs around Kohli with regards to his long-term future, leading to the 2027 ODI World Cup. “I don’t know why we need to look at all this. He’s really batting well. I don’t see any reason we need to talk about his future,” Kotak said at the post-match press conference. “It’s just the way he’s batting, it’s just brilliant, man. I wouldn’t really. The way he’s performing, the way he maintains his fitness, there are no questions about anything.”
“It was an outstanding knock, obviously. He batted really well, not just in the one-day format but all the formats he has done well. This was the 52nd ODI hundred he got, so he’s a thoroughly outstanding player, and he took responsibility, and the way he batted was very good,” Kotak added.
While Kohli continues to dazzle in Blue, his words in Ranchi drew a definitive line under the Test retirement debate. The chapter is closed, and Indian cricket must move forward without one of its greatest red-ball warriors. For now, fans can simply sit back and savour the sight of Kohli ruling ODIs with the same intensity and class that made him one of the biggest names in cricket.
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