In Australia, Virat Kohli has received thousands of cheers prior to Saturday night. In Australia, Virat Kohli has amassed 3616 runs in all formats prior to Saturday night. He hit a single at the SCG on Saturday night, though, and the noise that followed was possibly the loudest he had ever heard.
Almost ten days after arriving in the nation, it was his first attempt to break the record. He flew away on Sunday am, and that too on the final night of his tour. However, that didn’t seem to matter at all to the over 40,000 Indian spectators in Sydney for the third ODI.
The push was a little wide of mid-on and on the on-side. The crowd’s tremendous applause and the moment’s significance were both acknowledged by Kohli himself. Even he couldn’t help but smile sheepishly as he punched the air in relief and a little faux glee. The irony also struck a chord with him.
When Rohit Sharma was joined in the middle by his longtime sparring partner, he had already got his share of angry responses from the Indian fans who had crowded the SCG. That sort of became the theme for the remainder of the evening as the Sydney fans alternated between honoring two of the best ODI cricket players ever. This includes two of the best batters to ever come to our shores.
As one-format players going into their first series, Kohli and Rohit were the subject of much discussion about whether they still had what it took to be stars at this level.
In order to participate in another 50-over World Cup, they also needed to extend their careers for an additional two years. However, such was not the case tonight. This was not about consequences. The future was not at issue here. All of this had to do with singing a final song to Rohit and Kohli on Australian soil. This party evolved into a lavish farewell as the two performed a last brilliant act together against their longtime foe.
Even if they are rare, there are occasions in sports when you have to disregard the background. where you disregard objective thinking and disregard relevance. Moments and days when the story is the main focus.
when athletics is all about emotion rather than intellect. when the heartwarming tale is all that matters in sports.
Australia did indeed win the ODI series already. This was indeed a dead rubber. As soon as Mitchell Marsh won the toss and elected to bat first out of the blue, it was inevitable that Rohit and Kohli would win the match. But this wasn’t the time to look too closely at those details or analyses.
The main focus of this was the performance of two of the best players in ODI cricket history. similar to two seasoned bandmates performing for the last time on their farewell tour in a nation that has hosted some of their most memorable moments.
As soon as the soundcheck was finished, which in this case was Kohli going off the mark, they quickly got into sync. And every phrase, every note, and in this case, every signature shot, had the audience shouting and chanting along as if by rote.
Even though Rohit scored the most runs in Adelaide, he had not appeared very impressive in his first two knocks on tour. In fact, when he came out to play here, Kohli had not scored a single run. However, the Indian superfans of the two Indian superstars began to experience the all too familiar sensation of watching Rohit and Kohli light up the stage as their relationship grew. As if they were preparing the concert’s set list in advance.
They seemed to know that Rohit would pull off a slog-sweep for six each time he dropped down on one knee against the spinners. Or Kohli was going to hit a beautiful straight drive, as he did early in his innings from a Mitchell Starc delivery, each time he got into position with his head on top of the ball. Note for note and shot for shot, the two batting greats, just for good measure, added to the excitement and energy surrounding the SCG. In the event that Kohli produced elegant clips through mid-wicket and well-controlled pull drives off the front foot, Rohit was playing his own strokes at his end. He went from airlifting Josh Hazlewood over wide mid-on for four after clearing his front leg to inside-out hits with a casual flourish through the off-side.
Most significantly, the two former captains were enjoying each other’s company to the fullest as they held court in the center of the SCG. They were giving each other applause. They were giving each other a boost. The two of them were celebrating each other’s achievements. Just as it was before. Similar to when they formed a band and played Australia of all teams in the summer of 2013. After a dozen years, they were saying goodbye in style.
Kohli and Australia may have had a more passionate and well-publicized connection, but Rohit and Australia have a longer history together. After all, the Mumbai opener had traveled to Australia for the first time in February 2008, four years before his fellow Indian captain had even arrived on an Indian tour. He had competed against Australian teams that included the world’s Gilchrists, Pontings, Symonds, and Lees. When Rohit first struck in an ODI Down Under, Cooper Connolly, whom he had a lot of contact with during his last knock in Australia, was just four years old.
But even though Rohit scored three figures for the ninth time against Australia, it was Kohli who, predictably, turned the tide in the direction of completely taking over the match. He made a quick grab at square-leg and then a simple catch going in from long-off to start it off on the field. Additionally, a fielding captain was briefly teasingly reprimanded for bringing a fielder—Kohli, of course—into the circle and away from the boundary, likely for the first time in history.
His shoulders were bent and his head was lowered as he left the SCG nine months prior. The fact that this would be the final time we saw Test batter Virat Kohli leave the arena was unknown to us at the time. Sunday was supposed to be his last time wearing Indian colors in a nation with whom he has a close bond. And a nation that, with every visit, has watched him mature.
This time, he was able to leave with a proud grin on his face and the broadest, purest smile. In cricket history, the match between Australia and Kohli felt more like a satisfying conclusion to one of the most enduring rivalries.
The series itself couldn’t have ended any better, in many respects. The lead-up to the tour and the promotions had been dominated by Rohit and Kohli. Almost to the point where the series itself appeared to be a side story to the larger story of their final trip to Australia. And based on the events of Sunday night, their final dance once more made Australia’s series victory seem like a side event.
It’s said that in professional wrestling, the goal is always to satisfy the audience. Even though professional sports aren’t always ideal, this story’s idyllic conclusion left no one dissatisfied.
On a day when Australia came together to send them out in style after they had performed their final encore, it was both moving and therapeutic to hear Rohit and Kohli say, “Thank you Australia,” as they concluded the evening.
India
