Virat Kohli scored a century and roared; it was the right kind of deja vu
“Clouds and darkness surround us, yet heaven is just, and the day of triumph will surely come when justice and truth will be vindicated. Our wrongs will be made right, and we will once more taste the blessings of freedom” – Mary Todd Lincoln
Is anything ever right or wrong, is there a permanent black or a white shade, is there ever a hero or a villain? Will we ever know, we do not know!
But what we do know is that vindication is like medicine; it cures you and erases the curses you might have encountered. Medicines are prescribed, vindication is earned.
Let wind the clock back to 2012, to India vs Pakistan in Mirpur. India were rocked early, reduced to 0/1 in the first over, chasing a mammoth 330.
Pressure, yes, huge amounts of it; colossal amounts!
Sachin Tendulkar was at the other end, like he always was, alone in the cauldron, awaiting company. Enter Virat Kohli, the young brash bloke who had taken massive strides over the past four years. There were murmurs he would take over the baton from Tendulkar, but India was not convinced.
How could anyone replace Sachin? Dreams are good, but you can’t accept impossibilities. Replacing Sachin was one such event.
Amidst all the clamour and a hostile Dhaka crowd, Kohli got going and stopped 183 runs later. He had totally demolished Pakistan. Sachin gave him company for the initial part of the chase and then left him; yes, now Kohli was awaiting company, and he got it in Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina.
He smashed, pulled, drove, cut, glided and abused his way to a century. And then, as he completed the feat, he jumped, did an upper cut, looked around, and hurled expletives all over the place to no one in particular. The brash young man was there for all to see, his 'blurting cuss words' were not new.
And somewhere along the line, he vindicated the feeling that he could take over from Sachin Tendulkar. Now the muted murmur had gained some more velocity. Sachin retired after the game and Kohli was the catalyst in the Indian team.
"Triumph will surely come, and truth will be vindicated."
This brat is now the captain and he has scored 28 centuries. He has stopped jumping and cussing at people with elation, he has now identified the fact that it is his job to go out there and ensure his bat churns out runs. Those furrowed eyebrows have eased and he is more at ease with himself. He has to be; the fiery young turk is now the captain of the team, he has taken over from a certain MS Dhoni, who epitomised poise.
Let us all now sprint ahead, much like the man himself
Captain of the number 1 Test team, a superstar in an already celebrity-obsessed nation, Virat Kohli had everything at his disposal. A team relied on him, and the nation relied on the team for their happiness.
And yet we blinked, and everything snapped. Anil Kumble happened, the captain did not like the coach, the coach did not want to nod along, the Indian team was divided, the star Kohli was now an advert for success rotting a person.
Pakistan mauled India in the Champions Trophy final, Kumble resigned and Kohli's team flew to the West Indies to take part in a 5-match ODI affair.
On beautiful islands, away from all the frenzy, the team took the field. The once picturesque grounds were now gaping on with empty eyes, perhaps sad in their own way. The demise of West Indies cricket is a crying shame, but here Kohli could not have asked for anything else.
There was no pressure, there were no questions, there was no one to watch him play. He had to win, he had to score – two desires he had for lunch every day.
Yet it was all different; the twinkle in the eyes had given way to a strange sense of apprehension. The first match was washed out, but Kohli was there batting, on 32 off 47 balls, when rain decided to give him some respite. The innings was odd; it was not Kohli, but a bloke who had just put on the Indian jersey. The empty stands seemed to dwarf him, everything happened in slow motion.
West Indies have slipped so low that while other teams were battling it out in the Champions Trophy, they managed to lose to Afghanistan. We are not demeaning the Afghans, we are just stating the plight of the West Indies.
They, however, decided to plan against Kohli and began banging the ball in short. In the next match, the captain had answers, probably because the planning was not backed up with intent from the bowlers. He dominated his way to a 66-ball 87 and then a young Kuldeep Yadav gave him enough reason to smile, after three long weeks.
Something very strange happened thereafter. Holder finally deciphered the huge gift he has been given – his height – and decided to utilise it. Kohli came out to bat in the 3rd ODI, Holder had two slips and a gully ready for him.
The bouncer barrage began and Kohli looked uncomfortable; he swayed, ducked, attempted the pull and hook and eventually perished trying to fend off the ball.
India won, but West Indies believed they had found a chink in the Indian captain's armour.
The stage was set for round 2, Kohli on strike, Holder thudding in, belting the pitch. Kohli looked to pull; he had to, his ego had taken over, but his cricketing pedigree gave way. He top edged it and the keeper swallowed a simple catch. Yes, the chink had been exposed and the tongues were allowed to roll again.
"This is why you need a coach, you brat! He can help you identify flaws and work around them."
India choked, they fell short of the eventual target of 190 by 11 runs. Kohli perished, Dhoni melted under pressure.
Where is Anil Kumble, you critics with bloated egos?
And suddenly, the series came roaring back to life. West Indies were buzzing again, although Sabina Park in Jamaica was still empty.
India were chasing 206 and lost Dhawan in the first over. Enter Kohli; the field was set, there was a sense of deja vu.
Holder was charging in, so was Alzarri Joseph. When they banged the ball in, Kohli swayed; when they pitched the ball on the fourth stump line, Kohli covered his stumps and allowed it to pass.
He started with caution and then slowly got in the groove; the chase master had arrived. The cobwebs of doubt were brushed away when Joseph pitched a ball in short. Kohli was ready; he shuffled back and across and whacked the pull in front of square between square leg and mid-wicket. The haziness in his mind was cleared when he leant into the drive and creamed it past short cover.
An unbeaten 111 sealed India's chase and booked the series.
But something happened that we had eerily seen before. Kesrick Williams overpitched on middle stump, and Kohli leant into the drive with impeccable balance and clipped it calmly through mid-on and midwicket. He ran across, the ball crashed into the boundary skirting, and Kohli jumped. He roared, punched the air in delight and let out a few words.
He did not merely wave his bat; he pointed it towards the dressing room, the cameras panned towards that corner, and the entire team was up and applauding.
The 'brat' has now scored 18 centuries in successful chases; he is just three tons behind Sachin Tendulkar on the all-time list.
Kumble was not there, but this celebration was a vindication of Kohli's belief, his stand, and the Indian team that was now applauding the captain who had decided to voice his opinion, all for the team!
Don't be too flustered with what others might think. But don’t pray for their demise, silently hoping your opinion is vindicated. Do what you know, and do it to the best of your ability, the stars will align.