Some hands went to the eyes, others covered the mouth. The sense of foreboding was immense as the ball hung in the air for an eternity. You could have heard a pin drop, 33,000 spectators or not, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. India were teetering in their chase of 200 for victory in their opening game of the 2023 World Cup, against five-time former champions Australia. Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer had come and gone in a trice, all for ducks, to reduce India to two for three. The score had reached just 20 when Virat Kohli, somewhat nervy and feeling the pressure, launched into a pull against Josh Hazlewood.
Hazlewood, the world No. 2 ODI bowler, had showcased his capabilities with the sticks of Rohit and Iyer in the space of four deliveries. Quickly sizing up Kohli’s tension, Hazlewood banged the ball in short, outside the batsman’s right shoulder. Optimistically, Kohli essayed a stroke he would have eschewed nine times out of ten. The ball, understandably, lobbed towards short square-leg, wicket No. 4 written all over it.
Mitchell Marsh had been dismissed for nought earlier in the afternoon, this was his chance to sing the redemption song. The all-rounder raced around from mid-wicket, just about getting under the ball when, from the corner of his eye, he spotted wicketkeeper Alex Carey on the same mission. Momentarily distracted, he overran the ball which dropped harmlessly onto the turf. It should have been 20 for four, Kohli gone for 12; instead, India were thrown a lifeline. Kohli isn’t renowned for looking a gift horse in the mouth.
Kohli is one of those who is more switched on when the battle gets intense. Nothing stokes his competitive juices more than being pushed to a corner. Reconciled to a cheap dismissal when his team needed him the most, Kohli looked at Marsh gratefully. Then, he put the incident out of his mind and did what he does best – chip away at the target, bit by incremental bit, until the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow became more and more reachable.
Kohli didn’t do it alone – such is the nature of the sport that no one, not even one as gifted as India’s former captain, can. He found the most able and willing ally in KL Rahul, him of silken touch and glorious strokeplay. In Colombo last month, the two elegant right-handers had put on 233 without being separated against Pakistan in the Asia Cup; in Chennai last night, they realised 165, numerically not as intimidating but certainly worth many more for the circumstances in which and the stage on which they were crafted.
This is Kohli’s fourth, and almost certainly last, 50-over World Cup. On the evidence of what’s happened, it can be said unequivocally that he is huge on opening statements. In 2011, in his first World Cup encounter, the young turk in a sea of experienced heads – Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni – blazed an unbeaten 100 against Bangladesh in Mirpur, off just 83 deliveries. He was overshadowed by Delhi colleague Sehwag, who smashed 175, but Kohli had left a lasting impression with his incandescent ball-striking. India’s 370 for four was a bridge too far for the host nation to traverse.
Four years later, India ran into arch-rivals Pakistan in their opener. The Adelaide Oval had splotches of green, but the overriding colour was blue. As if in thanksgiving for the overwhelming support in a stadium of nearly 48,000, Kohli uncorked a masterpiece. Taking Pakistan’s vaunted pace attack apart, he scored 107, a mellifluous compilation that was trademark Kohli – frenetic running between the wickets, the occasional jaw-dropping boundary. Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina, his partners during successive stands of 129 and 110 respectively, were left breathless by the intensity of Kohli’s running, Pakistan were left in awe of the champion who was stacking up hundreds for fun.
Kohli wasn’t quite on song during India’s lung-opener in 2019, dismissed for 18 as India set out in quest for 230 to get the better of South Africa in Southampton. It was a rare blip as Quinton de Kock produced a sensational catch behind the stumps off Andile Phehlukwayo; that evening, Rohit came to his captain and team’s rescue with a magnificent unbeaten 122, the first of his tournament-record five hundreds. Kohli must have been itching to return the compliment.
The circumstances had conspired to offer him precisely that opportunity on Sunday. Kohli was no longer the main man, the leadership mantle transferred to Rohit in circumstances the former might not have felt were ideal. But Kohli is nothing if not the quintessential team man; he and Rohit have come a long way as individuals and teammates, and with so much riding on this outcome, Kohli knuckled down once Marsh shelled the skier.
It is often said of Kohli that especially during a run-chase, his brain transforms into a computer. That’s not fair; a computer doesn’t suggest emotion or passion. It indicates cold logic and sound reasoning, and a solution for almost every problem. There was nothing robotic or mundane about Kohli’s 85; Rahul might have been the more majestic, the more imperious. He might have been the one to bring up the winning stroke, a disdainful flat six over cover off Pat Cummins, the Australian captain. He might have scored more runs – 97 – and walked away with the Player of the Match honours, but Kohli was not a bit player. He never has been, he never can be.
Rahul ended up with eight fours and two sixes, which meant 45.36% of his runs had come in boundaries. By contrast, with only six fours, Kohli’s boundary percentage was a much more modest 28.24. Yet, Kohli scored at 73.27 runs per 100 balls faced at a critical juncture with so much riding merely on his continued presence in the middle. He might be nudging 35, but the fire still burns bright. He must want to end his World Cup journey the same way he began it – with a winner’s medal around his neck. The first step, but only the first step, towards that end was taken on a dramatic Sunday night in the heat and humidity of Chennai.
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