Colombo (Sri Lanka): How does one report an ODI match that stretches into two full blown days? That, too, under the special privilege ordinance drawn up to save a mega-ticket India-Pakistan clash that comes with all the syrup of excitement and trepidation.
Well, there was option one and only – take it as it comes, something a smarting Pakistani side did on a day when all the scripting of moments and momentum was under the Indian blade. It was a KL Rahul- Virat Kohli 'Dream 2' team that took charge and effortlessly made the ferocity of the Pakistani arm loose polish, steam and mission. Kohli not out at 122 in 94 balls with nine boundaries and three sixes and Rahul’s unbeaten 111 in 106 balls (12 boundaries and 2 sixes) needs no explanatory note, only applause.
Within the Indian dispensation, it was more about K L Rahul than his senior partner Kohli. Back after a long and frustrating six-month layover to nurse an angrily stretched hamstring, he lost no time in returning to the middle like the quiet titan he is.
Returning from an injury, to give pace to Kohli’s quickness between the wicket, craft masterful strokes to construct a syrupy romance with the ropes and still keep his simple aggression grounded, that’s not the story of a mean achiever. It is a story of a legendary comeback to a game that is ruthless, in a hurry to shed and a slave of youth and bench strength.
His shot selection, his sweeps, the lofted shots he has played and his sublime brilliance against the spinners are nuggets that will be remembered in a long while. More importantly, his solid presence bores well to the big one coming up in India next month.
His sixth century was the heaviest in weight, came as it did on a return spree and against quicks who are feared the world over, even if you were to ignore the high-pressure rivalry with Pakistan. Sitting on a 200-run partnership.
But Kohli couldn’t be ignored for a moment. With 99 runs he completed 13,000 runs and soon after came his 47th century in ODIs. The blade defines Kohli’s greatness and his big stage is always raised on Pakistan, a team he loves to take on and often trounce.
For India, it meant that Kohli at a strike rate of 108 and Rahul 103, the cement in the team had turned chinkless, near perfection. Pakistan’s star bowler Shaheen Afridi finished with dismal figures 1-79, losing the plot on Day 2. Pakistan’s next bet Haris Rauf had to sit out with stress and India took maximum advantage of the part-time Iftkhar who fought hard, fought straight but was taken to the cleaners first by Rahul and then by Kohli.
The Kohli-Rahul innings was what one would describe as art embedded in science. The sheer mastery of pacing the twin innings was something that legends can boast about. Initially, when play started, there was caution, care and gentle construction. Then came the quiet aggression, simple shots and scampering between wickets when the ropes seemed a little away from reality.
It was when India reached 300 plus that caution was thrown to the winds, audacity took its place and this was topped by sheer irreverence, incredible shots and run cart-wheels of both the players that looked delightfully Amazonian.
Pulls, slashes, hammering, cuts and delicate placement, the armoury was full and high-end, giving Babar Azam and his men reason to rethink strategy, this time with the bat. Kohli ended the misery of the opponents with a straight six lobbed over the bowler’s head to bring India to 356-2, just a run short of the biggest score against Pakistan ever.
Such was the show that the clouds stopped in their tracks to see and applaud an Indian effort that sadly not many in the stands were there to witness. It was the ease of access that Rahul and Kohli had in hammering the boundaries and the sixes that gave the platinum shine to the innings.
Earlier in the day, India resumed with scampering to ones and twos as Naseem maintained his cordon for the first over with just two runs off him in the 26th over. But first about the divine meddling. The clouds were relentless with thunder, lightning and storm, just before play commenced. The resumption came an hour later than usual with some moisture lending currency to the bowlers. Pakistan, however, started off with a setback – no Rauf who sat out with stiff muscles. This meant five overs would have to be given to one of the other quicks.
Kohli’s first four of Day 2 came with the batter taking advantage of a missing slip to reach the ropes, following it up with a thigh pad flirt drawing Pakistan skipper to lose his remaining review to wrong judgement by his wicket-keeper and over-ambitious bowler Iftkhar.
But the concern was always the darkness above and the prospect of the skies opening up any moment. K L Rahul was a delightful combination of caution and aggression as he capitalized on any width he found on his bat, slicing Shaeen to the right of backward-point. India was cruising with 175 for two, a partnership going between Kohli and Rahul, and Pakistan looking heavenwards to wave the clouds away.
Rahul, meanwhile, picked freely on Iftkhar to lend currency to build up. The result was a six over leg and a four past point with Iftkhar smarting and the Indians preparing to get on the right side of the D/L gentlemen. Sixty-two in 76 balls looked like a partnership in balance but with an eye on all eventualities.
Kohli supported the Rahul moment with grounded and guarded shots which got him runs but not without touching the ropes as often. That was like a booster shot for Rahul to give way to his natural aggression and make up for all the time lost to injury in the past six months. He did not spare Shaheen or Iftkhar homing in with style on any room he was given. Rahul’s well-earned fifty sailed in unnoticed, with Kohli adding another to his kitty in the 39th over when India was sailing at 238 and counting.
India’s 250 came in the 40th over with powerplay in place. In just 10 overs, the two built up 106 runs at the end of the show. The noticeable shift? It was in the gears. Caution took a backseat with both the batters taking their chances, stressing the Pakistani players, running cheekily between the wicket and reaching the ropes whenever possible, even as Iftkhar toiled away from one end and Naseem returned to an unhappening spell.
Even before one noticed, Kohli became the central character of the Indian story with Rahul taking up the role of the sheet anchor. It was the 42nd over that Kohli’s blade started getting hungry for a century. The celestial footwork six Kohli thumped Iftkhar to over the cow corner was all about taking full advantage of Pakistan’s part-time bowling necessity.
Both in their 70s, both in their 80s, both in their 90s and both scoring a century close to each other showed how well the partnership went and how rare it was. Day 2 was out and out an India story, thanks to the two warriors in blue who made Babar Azam’s boys look less smart than they actually are. Now Babar, or any yeomen effort on the part of Pakistan will stare a mountain of impossibility with or without the clouds playing truant.
