A dab off Ben Stokes was all it required. Virat Kohli had scored a Test century in England. He lets out a grin and roars as if forcing out the ghosts of 2014 that has suffocated him from inside. Kohli went on to score a master-class 149 and went off to a standing ovation from the same English crowd that had booed him when the Indian skipper stepped into the crease with India struggling at 54 for two.
Kohli at-least for the next one week had conquered England. He was no longer Jimmy Anderson’s bunny. The Indian skipper supplemented his maiden ton in England, with another half-century in the second innings despite, India suffering a heart-breaking 31-run defeat. Sam Curran, 20, may have beaten him for the Man of the Match but to the 1 billion people in India and to many others who resided in England, Kohli was the hero.
Yet, the smile had vanished from his face. Every time the camera zoomed into him, a grin – that showed how emotionally drenched Kohli was – could be seen. It so reminded one of Sachin Tendulkar in the mid-90s. The Master Blaster would score plenty of runs in most series away from home, yet the team would return with humiliating defeats and Kohli’s condition at the present Indian side is no different.
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In the Edgbaston Test, Kohli alone scored 200 runs out of the total 414 that India managed. The other 10 players collectively could manage 214, out of which 51 came from Hardik Pandya. The captain was the lone Indian batsmen to cross the half-century mark in both the innings.
In fact, such has been the nation’s overdependence on Kohli that since 2013 when India toured South Africa, Kohli has amassed eight Test centuries in foreign countries, which includes Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and England. Only Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane come a tinge close to the number of runs he has scored.
Sachin in the late 90s at least found solace in Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and later Virender Sehwag who came to be known as the “Fab 5” of Indian cricket. Kohli, though is still in search of one such player who can share his burden.
He has already scored a staggering 31.9% of his runs since the 2017-18 period as India prepare for their second Test of the five-match series in England and also gear up for a tour Down Under.
Most of India’s batsmen average less than 30 in foreign conditions, while Kohli averages 47.22%. His century in the first Test – that propelled him to the No.1 position in Test cricket – may be the first auspicious sign of the series he is going to have this season. It may well be a good sign for India too, but until other batsmen step up and score, it might not be auspicious but ominous for Indian cricket.
The admiration for Kohli exceeds no bounds. After struggling in England four years ago, the Indian captain with 934 rating points is not just the world number one in Test cricket but has also overtaken legends like Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar to be the highest ranked Indian batsmen ever.