Virat Kohli: Aussie spirit with an Indian heart

I grew up in an era when Australian cricketers not only defeated sides across the globe but dismissed them. While they were at work, they seemed distinctly different from the others.

Most batsmen avoid interacting with bowlers and fielders while batting. Not the Aussies. Former Australian captain Steve Waugh often said that an altercation with the opposition fired him up to do better and he was constantly in search of one. Most cricket players around the world do not make predictions before the series. However, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne never hesitated in predicting the outcome of a series they were about to participate in. Most batsmen do not react angrily after being hit on the helmet. But I remember Ricky Ponting telling Srinath to “get back to the mark and f****** bowl”. Their lot was minted in a different dye and people despised them, mostly because of their arrogance, but also because they walked the talk.

This is precisely the reason behind the ‘moral police’ having reservations about Virat Kohli. He has all the traits the arrogant Australian bunch had.

However, I was in love with that conceited Australian lot and could not admire them more. The above examples, albeit bigheaded, demonstrate incredible self-belief. Therefore, the more I watch Kohli, the more I marvel at his demeanour on the field. He walks out to the middle like someone who owns the field, akin to Ponting, and is not shy of dictating terms to the bowlers. And he makes no effort to conceal that emotion. But why should he? Arrogance is misplaced when your performance does not measure up to the words. The reason Sreesanth became a joke was that his arrogance was followed by rank long hops and, later on, spot fixing. Surely one cannot accuse Kohli of not backing his words with action. Moreover, as a supporter of the Indian Cricket Team, it is an assuring feeling to watch a young batsman sledging a tall opposition fast bowler. Remember Steve Waugh giving it back to Curtly Ambrose? More importantly, Kohli delivers when India needs him the most.

But for some time now, Kohli has been pilloried for his arrogance and larger than life image. His abusive language on the field, involvement in altercations with the opposition and his ‘not-so-shy’ way of celebrating a hundred has all come under scrutiny from the ‘culture brigade’, aka fans of Alok Nath. “How can he say such words after getting out? Does he not know that the camera is focusing on him”, is a line I have heard frequently. “He is not setting a great example for youngsters”, is another one.

For starters, we lesser mortals cannot imagine the pressure of playing a high-intensity game in front of a packed house. When you get out at a crucial moment and let your team down, the camera is the last thing on your mind. On the contrary, his reaction after scoring a 100 or a cheap dismissal is a sign of how much he cares about his performance. It shows his eagerness and desperation to do well consistently. One can argue that Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar too, were as keen on delivering the goods but no two individuals are the same.

When Kohli was exposed in England, people did not hold back in blaming his alleged girlfriend. Blaming her for Kohli’s poor performance would have been perfectly fine if we had credited her for his numerous match winning innings prior to one horrid series. To my mind, it was stupid to doubt his professionalism. He has played with stalwarts of Indian cricket and also shared the dressing room with greats from other countries in the IPL. From their comments, he comes across as an extremely hardworking and sincere cricketer.  

In the last three years, it had become a ritual for a cricket fan to be disappointed after an away series. Plus, it coincided with the growing obsession with Sachin Tendulkar. It had become nauseating for an objective Indian cricket fan to see the team overshadowed by one individual. It was all about his hundredth ton, then the cropping of the South African series to accommodate his farewell match and the commercialisation of his retirement. But if that fan is now cheering for India with a pumping heart and a clenched fist, just like he did when Sachin batted in the 90s and 2000s, then Kohli deserves most of the credit for reinstating that spirit, for he has scripted some amazing wins for India in the recent past. 

Earlier, when India was ranked the number one Test team in the world, it adopted the ‘safety first’ approach, which smacked of negativity.

In 2011, India was playing the timid West Indian side in the Caribbean. The third and final test of the series started with India leading the series 1-0. In the last session of the Test, India needed 86 runs to win off the last 15 overs, with seven wickets in hand. At the crease were VVS Laxman and Dravid with Kohli and MS Dhoni to follow. Spectators, commentators and viewers were gearing up for an enthralling last session. All of a sudden, players started to walk off the field, shaking hands with each other. The umpires took the bails off. MS Dhoni had settled for a draw, opting for a ‘safety first’ approach against a mediocre attack. The decision rightly attracted a lot of flak from pundits and laymen. This was surely not a sign of a number one team. 

But Kohli, like an old-style Australian, almost pulled off a historic win at Adelaide while chasing 364 runs in 98 overs in the last day, when everyone thought India would struggle to save the game. Leading from the front, he got hundreds in each innings, the first Indian captain to do so in his captaincy debut, and was on the verge of making a mockery of the Australians. It was indeed a brave effort but alas, the climax was not scripted the way he would have wanted it to.

However, after a really long time, an Indian defeat was marked with pride and positivity. Fans had smiles on their faces while discussing the thrilling last day of the first Test. It inspired exhilaration. Despite coming off a series of losses away from home, he risked a hazard for an adventure. He thought like a champion. He believed in himself and was not afraid to dare and live his endeavour. Something that we have seldom seen with the Indian team.   

There is no doubt that losing the last eight wickets for 73 runs will hurt for a while. But the rapture can wait. Never mind the loss at Adelaide. It marked a tectonic change in the approach of Indian cricket, led by Virat Kohli.