fastest to 14k runs and 51st hundred in ODIs as India dismiss Pak

These are nights made for Virat Kohli. The gaze of the cricketing world fixed on Dubai, the most feverish cricketing rivalry playing out in front of packed stands, live streams buffering to manage the viewership load, a million hands folded in prayer, hearts beating in wild anxiety — the myth and legend of Kohli comes alive and branches out into an altogether different world. It’s on nights like these that Kohli leaves his stamp on mind and memories, blurring allegiances and differences.In the end, it was a routine cruise for India, overhauling the 244-run target Pakan had set in 42.3 overs with six wickets in hand and effectively progressing to the knockouts. There were co-architects in this victory, most notably Kuldeep Yadav and Hardik Pandya. But only Kolhi, as it is on nights when he hits the high gears of batting, mattered.
Anticipation brimmed much before the match started. For a 1 pm start on what was Dubai’s warmest day of the season, several thousand fans had begun to queue up as early as 10 am. On the 2-km stretch to the stadium, where the blue jerseys clearly outnumbered the green, it was hard to spot one without “Virat” or “Kohli” on the back. The most famous No. 18 in the game. From the moment he stepped out in training gear half an hour before the toss – with the team bus getting stuck in the traffic – mobile phones tracked every moment of his. And he filled their hearts as well as the stands with euphoria.
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The modern-day batting great, arguably the greatest in this 50-over format, scripted his 51st hundred and crossed 14,000 runs in ODIs. But numbers are only embellishments in celebrating a glorious hundred, filled with strokes that matched the grandness of the night. Fittingly, he completed his century off the last ball of the game, gliding down the track and clubbing Khushdil Shah over extra cover for a four in what ended up as the last ball of the game.
The stroke was in tune with his majestic stroke-play of the night. He has etched far greater knocks, in difficult situations against bowlers of more hostility and craft. But this knock will be celebrated for those daring strokes. There was something vintage about Kohli here, in his buoyant body language, in his intensity, and in how authoritatively he bossed a quality bowling attack.
Classicism shone through, especially when he drove the ball. Aptly, he marked his 14,000th ODI run with an imperious cover drive. Strokes of more authority followed. Like when he swiped Shaheen Shah Afridi down the ground with a flamingo flourish off the back leg. Or when he smeared Naseem Shah over extra cover. It was as though the thrill and joy that overflowed in the gallery had intoxicated him enough to produce one smashing shot after the other.
Kohli, however, would downplay all that during the chat with the host broadcasters. “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. Very easy to get pulled into expectations. My job is to stay in the present and do a job for the team,” he said.Story continues below this ad
This hundred, his fourth against Pakan, came at the right time for India and Kohli. Since the season’s start, there has been no end to his struggles, with even his lone hundred in the Perth Test coming in relatively batting-friendly conditions. But here, Kohli overcame the slow conditions that he has struggled with in recent times. On a pitch where it was hard to be fluent, one had to rely on singles and twos. It tested his fitness levels, but he still pushed his body to the limits — this 111-ball knock had only seven boundaries but it had 46 singles and 13 doubles. More importantly, he got them at a strike-rate of 90.09. But even those singles had an intense aesthetic about them; ODI cricket will remember Kohli as the batsman who put art into running between the wickets.
This was also a game where it was not just about Kohli’s batting. Before he strode out to bat, Kohli had lifted India’s intensity on the field when the bowlers were struggling to make inroads. Stationed inside the ring for most part of the innings, he ensured Pakan batsmen wouldn’t get any easy singles past him. He dived around, charged in to stop close singles, slid to stop singles from turning into twos. Each time he touched the ball, the capacity crowd, which included fans from Pakan, cleared their throats.
READ MORE: 14,000, 82nd, and 158, numbers from record-breaking match of Virat Kohli against Pakan
No bowler posed any resance, later. Afridi was blunted, Naseem Shah punctured, mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed clinically dissected and Haris Rauf nullified without much ado. “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,” he said.Story continues below this ad
For once, though, even Kohli admitted he was exhausted, emotionally as well as physically. “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 said, with an eye on India’s next game on March 2 against New Zealand.
Sunday night, meanwhile, will never perish in the mind of the viewers. For, these are the nights made for Kohli.