A batter should not be judged only in terms of the runs he or she makes. It’s also about the importance of those runs in the context of the game, what kind of impact it had on the outcome and the kind of awareness the individual shows in a given situation. A glorious 40-odd can sometimes easily supersede a century, depending on the circumstances.
Taking these factors into account, the unbeaten 100 against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy Group A match in Dubai will not feature among the top five or 10 knocks that Virat Kohli has played in ODIs. He has scaled tougher peaks. However, considering the stage of his career and the phase Indian cricket is going through, this should rank among his finest efforts of late.
Kohli’s task of taking India to the target of 242 to win, on that pitch against a demoralised attack lacking confidence, was made easier by a brisk opening partnership. Once he replaced Rohit Sharma in the middle, Shubman Gill became the principal gatherer of runs. Kohli was provided the luxury of building his innings the way he wanted. The veteran didn’t have a lot to do, or so it seemed.
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Truth be told, someone had to be there at the middle for India to ensure that a semi-final spot was all but sealed with a match to spare. It also had to be made sure there were no hiccups or signs of nerves. For a team keen to show it is the boss, even a trace of wobble would have been unacceptable. Kohli’s calmness and experience helped India tick all the boxes.
For a player who now has 51 ODI centuries, this one was not a landmark in his 299th match, during which he became just the third batter in history to surpass 14,000 runs in this format. It was significant considering the time it came and the way it was constructed. No booming drives despite realising early on through two pristine hits through the covers that he was in sublime touch. There were just seven fours in the 111-ball knock. The rest were accumulated the hard way.
This game sense, undying spirit to run hard for singles and urging his partner to run harder even when it came to singles or doubles in their accounts, and that unforgettable trait of taking it on his own shoulders to finish it off — those were the Kolhi takeaways for India in this cruise against Pakistan. His goal of guiding India to another 50-over global title missed narrowly in 2023, Kohli looks hungry to settle that score.
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