Tuesday 14 / May / 2024
Virat Kohli could be your impeccable go-to man in matters related to chasing a big total, and you could always pick a thing or two from how he enjoys both the simple and complicated pleasures of life in the middle, but on Sunday at Mohali he showed us how to celebrate big without actually letting loose. It was like spotting a young lady standing alone in a corner of a party hall wearing a simple piece of jewellery on her gorgeous neck and a hint of knowing smile playing on her lips amid a crowd of women wearing chunky necklaces and clanky bangles and trying to gain the eyeballs.
Kohli’s century No. 26 came off the first ball in the 41st over, and there was nothing spectacular about the way it happened. Being on 99, he needed just one run, and a loud way to go about it was to hit a big shot, a four, perhaps, but Kohli chose to do it with a cute, confident glide to third man. He wasn’t disrespectful — as he finished the single he raised his bat in appreciation of a cheering crowd. But that was it, a fleeting, normal, down-to-earth moment of acknowledgment, and soon he was busy grappling with the grip of the handle of his weapon.
That was a simple celebration of a big moment, but by getting it with a dab to third man he was actually proving a point to himself. In fact, his 154-run innings was adorned with such beautiful moments and whenever it happened he was patting himself on a job well done.
Kohli tried to run the ball down to third man too early in his innings, and that was in the fifth over when he was on 6 and India were on 23 for the loss of Ajinkya Rahne, but the ball went straight to Ross Taylor at wild slip who dropped a regulation chance. Kohli celebrated the life he got with attempts at perfecting the dab throughout his innings and each time he got it right he cheered himself. Under the circumstances, even a scorching six wouldn’t have the charm of the single that came off that innocent glide.
What made the day for the crowd at Mohali was the Kohli-Dhoni show that opened in the ninth over and went up to the 36th, producing 151 runs and unveiling many exciting moments. At the end of the day, and after hitting three mighty, 80-plus-metre sixes, all down the ground, and six fours, Dhoni said it was something he wanted to do for a long time but seldom got the chance to. In almost all of his ODI innings, “at least 200” of the 244 innings he has played so far, Dhoni was forced to bat at No. 5 or 6 and seldom got the time or opportunity to express himself the way he liked. So this, coming in at No. 4, is what he likes to do, but does that mean we are going to see the skipper walking in whenever the second wicket falls? That doesn’t make sense.
The situation was ideal for Dhoni at Mohali, and it had nothing to do with the dew or the absence of it. First, India were chasing a target. Second, Kohli was at the crease, settled with a quick 21 off 22 balls. Third, even if India had lost another wicket quickly, either Kohli or Dhoni, the other would have time, skill, stamina and resources to get going with the rest of the lot that included a couple top-order blokes, Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav, and guys like Axar Patel still to follow, so that’s not a risk but an opportunity.
On the other hand, if Ross Taylor had taken the catch, and Kohli walked back leaving India at 22 for two, how good it would have been for Dhoni to walk in and get going with, in this case, a struggling Rohit Sharma? Dhoni would have been forced to play a slow game.
Ideally, Dhoni should bat at No. 4 if Kohli is still around. Does it mean that the skipper may be getting fewer opportunities? Not really. Kohli seldom gets out too early in the innings. He might fail in a game or two, but you could count on him to make amends in the next and, on current form, it’s going to last long enough for Dhoni to step in and enjoy himself. If it’s going to be the order of things in future matches, it will be a lip-smacking possibility for Indian cricket fans.
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The writer is a freelance contributor based in India. All the views and opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author and do not reflect those of Times of Oman
