How does it feel to watch Virat Kohli from close quarters? How does he go about his work of collecting singles, blended with imperious shots? To keep it short, you need to start with his routine before playing a defensive or aggressive stroke. With the bat placed on the right side of the shoulder, he looks around to observe the field placements. That is followed by a twirl of the bat, and rubbing a bit of dust with his shoes. He also has the habit of adjusting the grip of the willow.
His effort in Delhi’s Vijay Hazare Trophy game against Andhra had all of his mannerisms. And there was something more: Kohli was intent on treating the opposition bowlers with utter disdain in the first Powerplay. On occasions, he charged down the track and could only connect thin air. At some other times, he drilled those lofts and drives, with the leather ball racing away to the boundary hoardings at the pace of knots. In all of this, he also gave chances while batting on 32 and then again on 97, with Sheikh Rasheed spilling a relatively easy one.
Once Delhi had laid down the foundation, he was back to what he always does best – taking quick singles from right under the noses of the fielders. As a subplot, there was a contest between Saurabh Kumar, the king of flight bowling, and Kohli; the former trying to bring Kohli forward and the champion batter attempting to use the depth of the crease.
Despite changing his tactics a little bit, Kohli still essayed the pull off Raju and reached his ton off 84 deliveries with a shot into the downtown territories.
It wasn’t your typical Kohli experience as it also involved a few more risky shots than what you generally see. But while playing at a lower level, you don’t necessarily expect Kohli to always put a price on his wicket. The larger picture to think of was Kohli gracing Vijay Hazare Trophy after more than 5,200 days, bringing domestic cricket back to the forefront of public consciousness.
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