Virat Kohli is one of the finest batsmen of his generation and has raised the bar when it comes to batting aggressively without compromising on technique or aesthetics. He has made a name for himself by engineering remarkable run chases for India in limited overs cricket and asserting himself at the top of the order in the Test arena.
But 2016 has been a strange year for him in whites. The India Test skipper relieved some of the pressure that had been building on him as he scored a near chanceless double century against the West Indies in the Antigua Test. It was an unspectacular knock, bereft of any outlandish strokeplay. After that innings, he struggled a bit, with scores of 44, 3, 4, 8, 18 and 9 against the Windies and New Zealand. What was a murmur became a loud discussion that his bat had started to lose its ‘edge’.
What hadn’t been helping Kohli was the nature of wickets in India. For a couple of seasons now, the pitches in India have become exceptionally difficult to bat on with matches finishing inside four days and bowlers, especially spinners, dictating terms from the first session. There have been no ‘easy’ games for batsmen and every run has to be earned.
But it is in adversity that true champions prove their mettle.
After failing to cross 20 in his first three innings against the Kiwis in the ongoing series, Kohli buckled down to score a gritty 45 in the second innings of the second Test in Kolkata. That knock gave him the confidence that his form hasn’t deserted him.
Then in the third Test in Indore Saturday, we saw glimpses of a new Kohli. One who can cut out all the risky shots, play well within his range of strokes and yet score at a decent clip.
It’s not all about flashy shots on the off-side or audacious slogs against the spinners. The Delhi batsman has realised that there is more than one way to score runs in Test cricket. Adapting according to the situation, opposition and pitch is a critical aspect of batsmanship and Kohli seems to have cracked that code.
That is was Kohli who became the first batsman from either side to score three figures this series was apt. He is one of the few batsmen who change gears on demand and the team management must be very pleased to see this mature, yet equally effective, side of Kohli.
This reminds me of the time when Sachin Tendulkar changed his batting style in Tests around 2003-04. Coming into the Sydney Test of 2004 against the Aussies, Tendulkar had just 82 runs from five innings. Desperate to get back on top of his game, Tendulkar cut out almost all risky shots to compile a majestic 241 at the SCG.
Those hard-fought runs gave Tendulkar the opportunity to maintain his intensity for years to come across formats and towards the end of his career, allowed him to bat with more freedom as he could bring back his favourite shots, mainly the back foot punch.
I believe Kohli is following a similar path. Make no mistake, there will be occasions where Kohli will tear the bowlers apart and blast his way to a century in a session and a half. But when such knocks are not possible, Kohli now has the confidence to take a slightly less attractive route to reach his destination.
His century in Indore might not be the best of his career. But it must have given him more pleasure than some of his 12 other tons, simply because it took him out of his comfort zone.
