Virat Kohli, once king of the jungle, exits T20I stage in a blaze of glory

With batsmen of the calibre of Yashasvi Jaiswal on the bench, and Shubman Gill on standby, Kohli knows the future is bright. Just as it was when he was handed the torch by Sachin Tendulkar.

Shamik Chakrabarty

June 30, 2024 / 01:12 IST

India's Virat Kohli watches the ball after playing a shot during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final cricket match between India and South Africa at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Saturday, June 29, 2024. AP/PTI

“So much was said about his form but he is back on top of his game. It is phenomenal to see an individual who has had his low points bouncing back and playing like this. They say form is temporary - and he has certainly proven that class is permanent.”

These words were written by Sri Vivian Richards about Virat Kohli. Not during this T20 World Cup, but during the 50-over equivalent in India last year. For years, Richards – the greatest and most dominant batsman of his age – had spoken of how Kohli was the player who reminded him most of himself. Richards contributed three run-outs to West Indies’ victory in the 1975 World Cup final, and a magnificent unbeaten 138 in the summit clash four years later. What Kohli was missing from his resume was that sort of defining display in a final.

Few expected that in Barbados today. Kohli, the greatest player in the history of the T20 World Cup, had endured a nightmare tournament, tallying 75 runs in seven innings. The decision to open the batting with him and Rohit Sharma had backfired spectacularly, and India had made the final inspite of that.

For Kohli, it was strange terrain. For so long, he had been king of the jungle. Now, he had become the hunted, and bowlers from most teams fancied their chances. In both 2014 and 2016, he had been Player of the Tournament. His 319 runs and magnificent 58-ball 77 in the final wasn’t enough to deny Sri Lanka in 2014, as the rest of the batting disintegrated. Two years later, he smashed an incredible 89 not out off 47 balls in the semi-final against West Indies. But India bowled costly no-balls and dropped catches, and the men from the Caribbean won with two balls to spare.

Earlier in the tournament, Kohli had reeled off an unbeaten 82 off 51 balls in a must-win game against Australia. That innings prompted Gideon Haigh, probably the world’s finest cricket writer, to pen: “Not a stroke, by the way, would have looked out of place in a Test match…Much as the marketers would like to take the cricket out of T20, Kohli keeps putting it back.”