ICC World Cup 2023: Mum-high for centurion Kohli 

Express News Service

MUMBAI: Virat Kohli was down on his knees. He already had put his bat down on his side, just like a gladiator would his sword after a successful combat; he removed his gloves, and bowed. His idol Sachin Tendulkar was there so was the latter’s immortalised self-manifested in a straight-drive statue. The capacity Wankhede crowd was on their feet chanting his name as Kohli took a moment to soak in all the emotions his career threw up. He had reached a milestone no other batter had done before — half-century of centuries.

The occasion too was as fitting — the World Cup semifinal against New Zealand. Kohli rose, lifted both his hands up and paid his respect to his hero. Even for someone who wears his emotions on his sleeves, Kohli seemed overwhelmed when he bowed to Tendulkar. Then came a flying kiss to his wife, Anushka Sharma, who too was visibly emotional.

Records have been following Kohli like a shadow and this format, in which he thrives, these milestones have swelled like a piggybank. Such has been his dominance in ODIs, that at one point it looked like he would cruise past Tendulkar and would have scored several more ODI hundreds by now. But sport like life works in mysterious ways. For almost three years between 2019-2022, Kohli would not score a century. Not in any format. Once he came back from the mental health sabbatical he took in 2022, things took a turn for good and he has not looked back since.

Kohli’s role in the team for this World Cup has changed too. He is not the enforcer anymore. He is now playing purely as a batter, an anchor who holds one end up while the other batters express themselves around him. Rohit sets the tone while Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav would do the job in the later half. All Kohli has to do is get his eye in, play in singles and doubles and pick up a boundary once in a while and maintain a decent strike rate. That is what he has done throughout this World Cup, and Wednesday was no different.

Kohli walked in after Sharma fell. Built partnerships with Shubman Gill, first, and Iyer later. The 35-year-old made them run like hell between the wickets in the Mumbai heat, brought out his cover drives, and reached his fifty in 59 balls. From there on, he was switched on. He lofted Trent Boult downtown, jumped out and flicked Tim Southee, played a deft glance for Glenn Phillips and in doing all this, he surpassed another Tendulkar record; most runs by a batter in a single WC (673 in 2003). At that point, it was clear that the century was coming. And when it did, a hard-ran two in the most typical Virat Kohli fashion, he jumped and punched the air in delight before going down to his knees. It was the kind of emotion you hadn’t seen in Kohli in a long time. It was the kind of celebration that told you how much it meant to him. By the time Kohli was done — 117 from 115 balls, 50 centuries in 279 innings — he had amassed 711 runs at a strike rate of 90.68 in this edition.

In many ways, it is fitting that Kohli went past Tendulkar at Wankhede in a World Cup knockout game on November 15 with the latter watching from the stands. It was the same venue where he walked into a void of silence when Tendulkar got out in the 2011 World Cup final 12 years ago. It was the same venue where he would carry his idol on the shoulders moments after winning the World Cup in April 2011. It was the same date when Tendulkar walked off the field as an India batter for one last time in his farewell Test ten years ago at the same venue. It was his first century in a World Cup knockout game, something even Tendulkar does not have in his 24-year-long career.

The picture could not have been more perfect. Kohli himself said so. “It’s the stuff of dreams. Sachin paaji was there in the stands. It’s very difficult for me to express it. My life partner (Anushka Sharma), my hero – he’s sitting there. And all these fans at the Wankhede. If I wanted to paint a perfect picture, this would be it,” an emotional Kohli told broadcasters during the innings break.

For someone who took up the sport watching his hero play, to share the dressing room with him, to win a World Cup with him, and then to go on and surpass one of the most ridiculous records your hero holds in front of his eyes at the biggest stage — Wednesday at Wankhede seemed like destiny for Kohli, where his life came one full circle. At the humongous theatre, his coronation was complete as the most prolific ODI batter the sport has seen.

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<br /> MUMBAI: Virat Kohli was down on his knees. He already had put his bat down on his side, just like a gladiator would his sword after a successful combat; he removed his gloves, and bowed. His idol Sachin Tendulkar was there so was the latter’s immortalised self-manifested in a straight-drive statue. The capacity Wankhede crowd was on their feet chanting his name as Kohli took a moment to soak in all the emotions his career threw up. He had reached a milestone no other batter had done before — half-century of centuries.</p> <p>The occasion too was as fitting — the World Cup semifinal against New Zealand. Kohli rose, lifted both his hands up and paid his respect to his hero. Even for someone who wears his emotions on his sleeves, Kohli seemed overwhelmed when he bowed to Tendulkar. Then came a flying kiss to his wife, Anushka Sharma, who too was visibly emotional.</p> <p>Records have been following Kohli like a shadow and this format, in which he thrives, these milestones have swelled like a piggybank. Such has been his dominance in ODIs, that at one point it looked like he would cruise past Tendulkar and would have scored several more ODI hundreds by now. But sport like life works in mysterious ways. For almost three years between 2019-2022, Kohli would not score a century. Not in any format. Once he came back from the mental health sabbatical he took in 2022, things took a turn for good and he has not looked back since.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });</p> <p>Kohli’s role in the team for this World Cup has changed too. He is not the enforcer anymore. He is now playing purely as a batter, an anchor who holds one end up while the other batters express themselves around him. Rohit sets the tone while Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav would do the job in the later half. All Kohli has to do is get his eye in, play in singles and doubles and pick up a boundary once in a while and maintain a decent strike rate. That is what he has done throughout this World Cup, and Wednesday was no different.</p> <p>Kohli walked in after Sharma fell. Built partnerships with Shubman Gill, first, and Iyer later. The 35-year-old made them run like hell between the wickets in the Mumbai heat, brought out his cover drives, and reached his fifty in 59 balls. From there on, he was switched on. He lofted Trent Boult downtown, jumped out and flicked Tim Southee, played a deft glance for Glenn Phillips and in doing all this, he surpassed another Tendulkar record; most runs by a batter in a single WC (673 in 2003). At that point, it was clear that the century was coming. And when it did, a hard-ran two in the most typical Virat Kohli fashion, he jumped and punched the air in delight before going down to his knees. It was the kind of emotion you hadn’t seen in Kohli in a long time. It was the kind of celebration that told you how much it meant to him. By the time Kohli was done — 117 from 115 balls, 50 centuries in 279 innings — he had amassed 711 runs at a strike rate of 90.68 in this edition.</p> <p>In many ways, it is fitting that Kohli went past Tendulkar at Wankhede in a World Cup knockout game on November 15 with the latter watching from the stands. It was the same venue where he walked into a void of silence when Tendulkar got out in the 2011 World Cup final 12 years ago. It was the same venue where he would carry his idol on the shoulders moments after winning the World Cup in April 2011. It was the same date when Tendulkar walked off the field as an India batter for one last time in his farewell Test ten years ago at the same venue. It was his first century in a World Cup knockout game, something even Tendulkar does not have in his 24-year-long career.</p> <p>The picture could not have been more perfect. Kohli himself said so. “It’s the stuff of dreams. Sachin paaji was there in the stands. It’s very difficult for me to express it. My life partner (Anushka Sharma), my hero – he’s sitting there. And all these fans at the Wankhede. If I wanted to paint a perfect picture, this would be it,” an emotional Kohli told broadcasters during the innings break.</p> <p>For someone who took up the sport watching his hero play, to share the dressing room with him, to win a World Cup with him, and then to go on and surpass one of the most ridiculous records your hero holds in front of his eyes at the biggest stage — Wednesday at Wankhede seemed like destiny for Kohli, where his life came one full circle. At the humongous theatre, his coronation was complete as the most prolific ODI batter the sport has seen. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp<br />