While chasing a target in white ball cricket, first there is god, and then there is Virat Kohli. I know this immortal quote was originally about the off-side, and its prince, Sourav Ganguly. But, the time to exalt Kohli to this pantheon of the super-human has come, or maybe we’re already late by a few years.
Kohli’s near-deification was complete when he hit those unbelievable sixes off Haris Rauf at Melbourne in the 2022 T-20 world cup. Since then he has been using every opportunity to reaffirm his status, and our faith.
Have-target-will-chase is a fait accompli every time Kohli is out there. It is a destiny, inevitability inscribed on every track he plays on. In this pandemic of predictability, the only point of uncertainty is this: How will Kohli do it this time? Will he do it with geometry-defying fours, aerodynamics-defining sixes, or with ones or twos. Will he play like a tiger, or graft like an ant?
In the semi-final against Australia, Kohli brought out a mixture of geometry and athletics to lead yet another chase. On a pitch that had the reputation of being slow and tired, but didn’t live up to it, Kohli bisected the gaps with his silken shots and ran hard to ensure India didn’t suffer the fate of the Kiwis and the Pakistanis on the same ground.
Playing against India in Dubai, Pakistan and New Zealand had choked themselves by playing too many dot balls. Both sides had ignored the maxim that a run in hand is better than four in the bush. But, the wisest are those who learn from the mistakes of others.
Chasing 265 and recent history–nothing beyond 250 had been assailed in Dubai since 2025–Kohli eschewed the big shots and yet managed to keep his own strike-rate high and the required rate low. The farewell to aggression was more pronounced after he failed to bisect the bowler and the fielder stationed adjacent to the bowler on the off-side and almost got caught. That was a warning that it wasn’t a day for fancy hits and booming cover drives. The pitch screamed, Run, Kohli, Run. And he did.
It’s a pity that he ignored the message from the turf and tried a fancy shot off an Adam Zampa googly. Had he not hit that shot straight to the fielder in the deep, this would have been another match with a predictable ending: India win, Kohli hits a century. Perhaps, the final of the Champions Trophy would be the fitting climax of Kohli’s career, in more ways than one (notice the many hidden predictions).
Watching Kohli on the field these days gives the impression that while he is the devil sometimes while fielding, with the bat in hand he turns into a Shaolin Monk. As a fielder he often raises the middle finger, lets out a few famed Punjabi expletives and even shoulder-butts his opponents. In short, he lets his emotions erupt out of him like ugly magma.
But the same volcano burns with a different intensity while he is chasing. His eyes begin to blaze, his feet are on fire and his hands become red hot. And the mouth shuts down, till it is time for the final, triumphant roar. This Mr Hyde-to-DR-Jekyll transformation is fascinating, and a study in psychological transformation someone should pursue.
But, India should be grateful. God forbid, if Kohli the batter were as flammable as Kohli the fielder, India’s white ball history would have been completely different. There would have been no Melbourne, no Bridgetown (2024), and no Dubai.
It is a miracle that Kohli still has the same hunger, skills and energy for great innings. In his illustrious career, he has seen it all, done it all, and achieved almost everything. Yet, to come out every day, and achieve the same result, as if playing the success tape on a loop, requires extraordinary grit, dedication and ambition. Maybe, he is actually something more than us mortals. Especially while chasing.
Sandipan Sharma is a journalist based in Jaipur, Rajasthan
(By arrangement with Perspective Bytes)
