The phenomenon that is Virat Kohli

Three overs left to play. A sudden hush wave rushes right through the vast expanse of the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium. If a satellite were to pick it up, Mohali would have probably gone undetected in the noise radar. It was like a scene from a thriller movie, with the ‘heart-pound’ soundtrack playing at the outset. You could have heard the gin ‘n’ tonic glasses clinking with the ice inside them.

Thousands of miles down south, beers were galloping down the throats of all the prideful Aussies present at the Courthouse Hotel in Sydney. Little did they know the nerves of thoughts scampering down the spines of the Australian spectators at Mohali. 39 to win off 18. Steve Smith was surrounded by his bowler – James Faulkner and his lieutenant – David Warner. What were they planning? They had seen this scene play out in the previous match against Bangladesh. However, this time, they who were at the receiving end.

Virat Kohli and skipper MS Dhoni had just begun to turn on the heat. It was inevitable. They were the fastest runners in the team by a country mile despite each and every one of those 34 years on the ageing body of MS Dhoni. ‘Run Forrest Run’ was all that came to my mind when I saw Virat Kohli tear through the wind to scamper for the second run. How was he managing this? I felt like an astronaut each time I would put on the pads, and gloves and all those other ridiculous protective gear. I could barely move. And here was Virat Kohli, taking on Glenn Maxwell’s bullet arm to come through for a second.

The crowd in Mohali held its breath. The Indian dug-out sat in acute calmness. They had already been through what happened in Bangalore. Faulkner charged in as Virat’s eyes unwavering in focus and intensity. The first three of Faulkner’s deliveries disappeared from the field. The target had been trimmed to 25 in a matter of five minutes. In the back of Kohli’s mind, there was perhaps a banner of some sort, reading: “39 from 3 overs. Where have you been old friend.”

Three deliveries from Faulkner and Mohali was back on the world map. The final three deliveries of the innings brought back a distinct familiarity. They were running two’s again. After a physio interval, it was the turn of Nathan Coulter-Nile. The nerves soothed in Coulter-Nile’s body after beating the irresistible Kohli for pace on the very first delivery. Although he didn’t realize it, Coulter-Nile had quietened the Mohali crowd significantly.

However, little did he know what was to follow from the bat of Virat Kohli. A half-volley on the on-side, a similar delivery to the one previous and a short one, targeting Kohli’s ribs and the Indians had 8 more runs to their total. Running out of ideas, Coulter-Nile darted back towards his bowling marker. It was horror. How was he to contain such a batsman? What was going to stop him?

The pressure had clearly gotten to Nathan Coulter-Nile. The next one was a length ball, child’s play for Virat Kohli. He stepped out of his crease and smashed it to deep extra cover. And that was the match. Despite a club from MS Dhoni to the deep mid-wicket fence to seal the win, all eyes were on Virat Kohli in the middle. Better yet, he was down on his knees, thanking the almighty for guiding him through the pressure situation.

The emotion Kohli showed almost made him seem as human-like. ‘Dream Team’, a British football drama, in all its eight seasons, sent just the one message as far as I am concerned. “There isn’t an ‘I’ in the team, but there is most definitely an ‘I’ in genius.” And for all his hard running and electrifying shot-making capacity, there is certainly an ‘I’ in the genius of Virat Kohli.

While the folks in Mohali danced the night away with the Indian cricket team on their minds, those watching on the telly, especially the older folks burst into tears. These, however, weren’t just any tears. They were tears of joy, tears that celebrated one man – Virat Kohli. As far as many are concerned, he is nothing short of superhuman or even herculean. They had just witnessed a miracle. We certainly don’t need numbers to justify anything. We saw and lived the ‘Virat Kohli’ show, the ‘Late late Virat Kohli’ show.

Australian all-rounder Shane Watson also played his last international match at Mohali – A very merry Shane Watson story