The Ashes
Sri Lanka Vi-rat-ified
If he was a surgeon, then each of his operation would have been a success. I am talking about none other than Virat Kohli who bisected, cut and shred the Sri Lankan attack to land India an unlikely victory at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart on Tuesday.
It required an uninhibited, at times care-free approach to register what was a famous victory for India. Kohli pierced the gaps, kept the ball on the ground most times before he giving the word ‘onslaught’ a new meaning. To get the measure of what I am saying — dodge this —- Kohli’s final 30 deliveries read 4 1 1 1 4 1 4lb 4 4 4 . 1 4 1 1 2 . 1 1 2 6 4 4 4 4 1 1 1 4 4.
Clearly, just two dot balls. Sri Lanka had a nightmare on the field and their premier bowler Lasith Malinga was treated worse than a club bowler. A difference in approach did the trick for the Delhi lad. More often than not, Kohli has been guilty of throwing his wicket away in this series after having got a start. But not today. Kohli built a good foundation before upping the ante.
There were no half-measures and he made every bad delivery count. Kohli completely overshadowed the other centurions of the day— Tillakaratne Dilshan (160*) and Kumar Sangakkara (105). More than the runs he scored, I liked the manner in which he scored. More importantly, it is the way Kohli celebrated after hitting the century or after scorching a straight drive to give India the win.
Kohli smiled and thankfully, did not utter any profanity which is a sign that he is maturing as a player. It is crucial that one smiles after reaching any milestone in life, and Kohli thankfully did that. Many have already begun calling him a future captain. Yes, he surely looks more than just a prospect to lead the country in the coming years. One only hopes that Kohli controls his temper and ups his temper-ament. Amen!
Some interesting statistics for those who love numbers:
1. It equalled the third highest Indian run chase in ODI history, and was achieved with more than 12 overs to spare.
2. Lasith Malinga, one of the best bowlers at the death, had figures which read 1/96 off 7.4 overs.
3. Kohli shared two century stands – 115 runs off 109 balls with Gambhir and then of 120 from only 55 balls with Raina.
-Good piece of information.