Virat Kohli - The Australian in Indian ‘Blue’

Every time Vivian Richards walked onto the field to bat, it didn’t matter if the score was 300 for 2 wickets down or 2 runs for 3 wickets down, the bowler, no matter how great, was always under pressure. Richards & Windies dominated the cricket world through the 70s & 80s before their empire began to collapse in early 90s. By the mid-90s, Australia, under skipper Steve Waugh, started a juggernaut & for the next decade annihilated everyone. I wasn’t born or was too young to witness the Windies’ aura & fierce dominance, but I was bloody lucky to witness Australia murder the mortals & tame immortals [Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar & Brian Charles Lara].

In the middle of the Australian magical spell, I happened to move to Oz as a teenager. At that stage, I was more patriotic {towards India} than a Nazi soldier {towards Hitler} in the middle of World War 2. In the mid-90s, India had its greatest superstars playing together that included Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, Laxman, Kumble, which was bolstered by wonder boys Harbhajan, Sehwag, Dhoni in early 2000s. Barring the 2001 Kolkata miracle, India never threatened Australia’s invincibility. Aussies won three back-to-back World Cups [1999, 2003, 2007]. Created the world record for maximum continuous test match victories {16 tests}. Like India, Australia had their legends - McGrath, Warne, Waugh brothers, Gilchrist, Hayden, Ponting playing in the same era. On paper - averages, wickets, centuries - there was absolutely no difference between Australia & India. Yet, on the field, Australia beat India just as often as they beat minions Zimbabwe.

If I were to be harsh, I will say even the ‘legends’ of Indian cricket didn’t have the balls. If I were to be politically correct, I will say Indian legends didn’t have the killer instinct. Tendulkar relentlessly focused on accumulating centuries, instead of victories; Dravid was too unadventurous in his approach, Ganguly, though the one with the most balls, was found out on absolute skills, Kumble never replicated his breathtaking exploits on Indian soil on foreign soil. Laxman was the exception; he was spellbinding against the Aussies [at least till the twilight of his career]

As Australia started to become slightly less invincible in the mid-2000s, in came Dhoni with spectacular swagger. India turned the tide & won major tournaments under his captaincy [beginning with the T20 World cup in 2007 & reaching its pinnacle with 2011 World cup victory], but after the World Cup victory, Dhoni became too conservative or in direct words, lost his balls. India & Dhoni’s performance became uninspiring & timid for the next two years. But, he was too big to be asked to step down or dropped.

Finally, on 30 December 2014, Dhoni abruptly retired mid-series {series was already lost} after the drawn Melbourne test. He retired from the tests after he had flushed himself & the entire Indian team down the gutter. The Dhoni of 2nd April 2011 [Day of India’s World cup win] & the Dhoni of 30 December 2014 were as different as Da Vinci’s surreal Mona Lisa & Domino’s mass-produced doughy Pizza

Kohli was instantaneously catapulted to captaincy. Two years later, Dhoni also stepped down from ODI captaincy to make way for heir apparent Virat Kohli.

Let’s go back a little - to the genesis. When Kohli started playing for India’s ODI team in August 2008, I was no longer the cricket guzzling fanatic and only watched/followed Test cricket [which Kohli didn’t play till mid-2011]. Nevertheless, I heard a lot of clamour about Virat as he was a fiery young chic-magnet who was scoring at Tendulkaresque/Bradmanesque pace in ODIs. I dismissed him as a flash in the pan. But, this ostensible flash in the pan refused to die & yet I remained stubborn & maintained that he would be exposed once he plays real cricket [Test cricket]. I was ecstatic when he had a lukewarm start to his Test career in 2011. Kohli improved in 2012-13 but hit rock bottom in the away series against England in 2014. He scored 134 runs [in 10 innings in 5 tests] at a horrific average of 13.4. I felt vindicated; Virat was found out. He was a quack; a short format wonderkid on flat tracks. I looked forward to India’s Australian tour that was slated right after England. I knew Australian bowlers will eat him alive & nip Virat’s test career in the bud - another Yuvraj Singh in the making.

When the chips were down & a million detractors like me were carving his coffin, alongside Yuvraj Singh [another Test flop] with an inscription - Tumse Na Ho Payega - , he rose from the ashes like Phoenix & smashed back-to-back centuries [115, 141] in the first test in Adelaide. I vividly recall watching that Test & I saw the resolve in the 25-year-old lad’s eyes. I realized I was dead wrong about him. Kohli, unlike the greatest Indian batsman - Tendulkar, was a true champion. He scored four centuries, averaging 86.5 in Australia, including 147 in Sydney on his debut test as the captain.

In the last three years, Kohli has broken all sorts of darn records as a captain & batsman. India has achieved feats that even the worshipped quartet couldn’t achieve in over two decades. But, it’s not about records, it’s about the way India has been playing. The tree that was planted by Sourav Ganguly is now in its full bloom. To me, Ganguly was the first Indian captain to take on the Australians. To me, if Ganguly was half-blood [Indian & Australian], Kohli is full-blooded Australian. Team India now doesn’t go out to win, they go out to dominate from the word go - they go out like their life is on the line - they go out to show the world that they’re the best & if you’ve beat them, you’ve to be better than the best.

Indian team is a lot like the Australian greats; whosoever comes into the team instantaneously catches the ‘belief & killer instinct’ injected by Kohli. 

Now, Cricket India is at the most crucial juncture. If they scale this mountain [overseas tours of England, South Africa, & Australia], they will stand at par with Windies [the 70s & 80s] & Australia [mid-90s to mid-2000s]. That will not be a massive achievement; it will be a miracle orchestrated by Kohli, the Australian in a blue shirt.