India vs England: Evolved Virat Kohli negated tricky conditions at Edgbaston to make statement of intent

The setting for Jimmy Anderson was perfect: India were shaky at two wickets down for 54; his ‘bunny’ Virat Kohli was walking in to bat and, most importantly, a cloud cover had just formed over Edgbaston. This would favour swing bowling and thereby load the game in his favour. The 36-year-old experienced fast bowler with 540 Test scalps under his belt had made Kohli’s life miserable on the 2014 tour where the Indian managed to score only a measly 134 runs in 10 innings. Subsequently, every time Kohli’s greatness was discussed, someone or the other always threw in these statistics and said that unless he got runs in England he could not be reckoned a complete batsman. [caption id=“attachment_4884691” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] India’s Virat Kohli celebrates after scoring a century. Reuters[/caption] It is possible that these comments would have rankled the fiercely proud Kohli. But they also made the ambitious master batsman intensely determined to set right the record. And what better place or stage than India’s first innings of a grueling five-Test series. The Kohli of old would have been arrogant and tried to hit his way out of a lean patch. But this was a different Kohli, mature and possessing a skill set and temperament unmatched by any contemporary cricketer. He identified Anderson as the number one threat in the English side, not just for his wicket-taking ability but also the psychological blow he could land if he dismissed Kohli so early on the tour. The English paceman, a master of seam and swing bowling, was returning from a well-earned rest and was keen on continuing his dominance over Kohli. He therefore had to be pushed back. It is for these very reasons that everyone sat up as soon as Kohli walked in to take on England, nay Anderson. They knew they were in for a battle within a battle; a clash of wills, or skills if you may. The buzz in the air was perceptible — Kohli was out to set a record right and Anderson the predator, was prowling with great intent in favourable conditions and on his favourite stomping ground. Kohli, obviously, had put in a lot of thought and planning into his batting. He straight away stood more than a foot outside the batting crease. This ploy forced Anderson to drag his length back to ensure that he would not gift half-volleys to a master craftsman who was sure to pounce on any offering. This diminished his swing somewhat. (Why he did not deem to bowl from a yard behind was incomprehensible.) Another key change that Kohli made was to bat with soft hands. This ensured that even when he edged the ball it would not carry to the slip cordon. Just one did, when he was on 21, but the low catch was dropped by Dawid Malan at second slip. Kohli needed that slice of luck especially as the odds were stacked heavily against him. But what he had going for him was a temperament forged painstakingly by the cricketing Gods themselves. He needed that. The ball was swinging and seaming alarmingly as the cloud cover was exploited brilliantly by England’s pacers. Even newcomer Sam Curran, son of Zimbabwean cricketing great Kevin Curran, was proving to be a handful. The ability of the left-arm pacer to consistently bring the ball back into the right handers even when bowling from over the wicket was outstanding. Kohli not only kept his front pad out of the way but also negotiated the inward tilt by playing straight and late. Another bowler who made terrific use of the conditions was the tall and pacy Ben Stokes. He also pounded the ball into the surface and got appreciable seam movement. India’s main batsmen struggled; but not Kohli, the man intent on demolishing quite a few devils. His nemesis Anderson was handled with due respect. He took just 18 runs off the 74 deliveries he faced from the pacer. Those deliveries aimed at the third stump and beyond were let go with a finality that showed that he was not going to be drawn into a trap that might have worked four years ago. Kohli had evolved. But he was not excessively defensive as can be gauged by the 131 runs he scored off the 151 deliveries from other bowlers. The pity, however, was the absence of support from the main batsmen. Even Ajinkya Rahane, of whom much was expected, looked pedestrian. There was a phase when Kohli was shouldering arms with supreme confidence. But at the other end, Rahane, with each ball he faced, gave the impression that he was hugely relieved not to get out to that delivery! He had somehow survived that ball and was now nervously awaiting the next. Certainly the sheer class of Kohli’s innings showed other batsmen, KL Rahul, Rahane and Dinesh Karthik in very poor light. Kohli was competitiveness personified. He was just as determined to drag the side to a score of respectability. The manner in which he steered it from 100 for 5 to a final total of 274, just 13 runs short of the England total, made for absorbing cricket. He was just 57 in a total of 169 when Ravichandran Ashwin was dismissed; 67 when Mohammed Shami departed and 97 when last man Umesh Yadav walked out to join him. By then he had not only blunted England’s attack, but had driven them into accepting that they stood a better chance at getting others out. They went ultra-defensive when bowling to him, yet Kohli steadily chipped away at the lead. The 57-run partnership for the last wicket was the highest of the innings. Kohli’s 22nd Test hundred was worth its weight in gold. It bought the team respect. Thus his 149 (225 balls, 22x4, 1x6) was more than just a century. It was a whole statement for the opposition. For England it drove home the fact that their one-trick pony Anderson was no longer Kohli’s bogeyman. He might still get Kohli in the odd innings but the aura that had sustained him this long was irrevocably shattered. He has been knocked off the pedestal and is now reduced to being just another bowler out on his day job. Now if only the other Indian batsmen could dig deep and lift the level of their game! They may not match Kohli for intensity and passion. But they can surely show some spine!