Kolkata: Preservation. Perseverance. Polish. These were the three words defining Virat Kohli’s 49th ODI century and the knock was significant for so many reasons. One, it was match-winning. Two, it equalled the venerable record of an icon, Sachin Tendulkar. Three, it established India at the top of the world cricket. And four, it mirrored Kohli’s tenacity, patience, calmness and precision as the world’s No. 1 batter.
Kohli constructed his century in 119 balls with 10 boundaries but not a single six. What that signifies is how mature and grounded his shots were. Not a single six speaks of quiet aggression. It also tells you how difficult the wicket was getting. But, he did not hurry. Neither did he get anxious. Nor desperate. 90 to 100 was all about singles and nothing about boundaries. And he continued to constantly play the role of a preservation specialist once Rohit Sharma departed early after a furious 40 runs.
For a 35th birthday, it couldn’t have been a more special gift Kohli gave himself and the team in a match that was touted as the biggest in the league stage and one that will lionise the ton and its maker forever. His 49th milestone had to wait for two matches before it conjured itself up. He was dismissed for 95 and 88 against New Zealand and Sri Lanka earlier so it was meant to be on Eden on a big Sunday. Kohli celebrated more like a statesman of the game who was relieved that the wait was finally over in the 49th over off a cramping Rabada, and not the general pumping into the ground youthfulness he shows when he or any of his teammate nibbles into the opposition.
At 101, Kohli was unbeaten in 121 deliveries. His milestone ton came in 277 innings which reflects the changed nature of the game, the increased number of ODIs being played and the furiousness and ferocity cricketing blades have acquired in a transition that has shrunk the format to a shorter and explosive version. Tendulkar, the textually correct wonder boy of all times, had got his 49th ODI century in 452 innings but that was in another life of cricket, the slow and steady era of the game.
The beauty of Kohli’s iconic hundred was that it had no chink, if a half-chance Quinton de Kock downed when he was just 36, can be ignored. Hard as South Africa tried, no bowler could go past his bat as Kohli put down all his vulnerabilities to play the innings of his life. Even his weakness against left-arm spin did not help Maharaj, the South African spinner put in to hunt him down. The intense duel in the Kohli vs Maharaj phase was nerve-wracking but the former navigated it with the skill and doggedness that has come to signify King Kohli himself.
Kohli brought up his 50 off 67 balls, his sixth in eight innings in this World Cup. And that it came in Maharaj's last over, spoke volumes about the round well-earned. Kohli’s cricketing trajectory has seen some ups and downs as he grew from a young and rowdy Delhi boy to a batting maestro. Along the way, he gave up captaincy, lost it too in other formats, got into a very open tiff with Sourav Ganguly and the BCCI and had a dismal Asia Cup record in Abu Dhabi.
But it has always been his bat that took him out of the doldrums with its sheer brilliance and penchant to be around runs. Kohli worked on his fitness, his mindset and his personality to tower over the world and win the love of all his sceptics.
Equalling his icon Sachin Tendulkar’s record is an emotional achievement for him. “People compare me with him but I will never be as good as him,” he said with all his heart at the post-match presentation. But from 49 to 50 and beyond has the sincere wishes of his hero. And, of course, the sizzling bat of a warrior that carries it like a bugle on his shoulders, enjoying the space that he is today. It’s Virat Kohli’s McDonald's moment and he is loving it.
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