TimesofIndia.com in Dubai: Another ODI run-chase, another hundred, another win and the story continues…
When the helmet came off and the bat was pointed towards the stands, Virat Kohli was not just celebrating his 51st ODI hundred but also another clinical run-chase as India outclassed Pakistan in the Champions Trophy by six wickets. An assuring gesture for his childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma, who was in attendance at the Dubai International Stadium, followed and he then turned towards the dressing room to acknowledge the applause.
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The King was back in his elements, back to his dominant best, back to calculating and mastering run chases and back to the showmanship. Nobody, nobody does it better than Kohli in this format and his control during run-chases can be a case study for future generations.
The risk element is completely eliminated as he prefers to pick the gaps and avoids the flashy, airy approach unless there’s a desperate need for it. The ones effortlessly become twos and the fielders in the ring are kept on their toes as a quick-single is always on the cards. Alarm bells start ringing for the opposition if the cover-drives connect and it happened twice during a Haris Rauf over early in Kohli’s innings. While the first was a more cautious check shot, the other was way more fluent and would have switched the Chase Master™ on in the big game vs Pakistan.
Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten century in India’s win against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy. (PTI)
He thrives in situations like these and Sunday was another reminder of why he remains the absolute beast in 50-over cricket. The staggering numbers are a testament to that but more than the numbers, it’s how he he builds a run-chase and then controls it. Even when the boundaries don’t come, the sprints between the wickets keep his strike-rate hovering in the 90s and there were as many as 46 singles and 13 doubles during his unbeaten hundred. The fitness levels were tested under the unforgiving sun but in spite of staying on the field for more than 85 overs, he was pushing for those doubles towards the fag end of the chase.
In a chat with the broadcaster after the match, Kohli spoke about the knock, keeping the “noise away” and how the next few days will be about keeping the feet up and recharging the batteries before India’s last group stage fixture vs New Zealand on March 2.
“My job was to control the middle overs against the spinners without taking too many risks, towards the end Shreyas accelerated and I got a few boundaries as well. It allowed me to play my usual ODI game. I have a decent understanding of my game, it is about keeping the outside noise away, staying in my space and taking care of my energy levels and thoughts,” said Kohli.
“To be honest, at 36, it feels really good. Will put my feet up for a few days as it takes a lot out of me to put that kind of effort into every game,” he added.
The story is set to continue for a bit longer as the protagonist still has enough gas in the tank. He scaled Mt 14,000 on Sunday, scored his 82nd hundred in international cricket, collected a record Player of the Match award but it was just another day of Kohli doing Kohli things.
