IPL 6: Kohli masterclass puts Sunrisers in the shade
In the days of yore, Irish wrestlers scuffed collars and elbowed opponents into submission. Virat Kohli extracted immediate revenge over the Sunrisers with the intense brutality of an ancient Celtic wrestler. The skipper took charge midway through the contest before scuffing up the hapless visitors with a brilliant 93 off just 47 balls that destroyed any hopes of a hat-trick of victories for the newest IPL franchise.
It was an innings as exhilarating for the spectator as it must have been for the player. Coming so quickly after that super over finish in Hyderabad where the Bangaloreans were pipped right at the very end, the innings was not found wanting in context. But what stood out was the sheer character given to it by a rampant young man at the height of his prowess.
The Sunrisers got off to a typically tardy start before Cameron White (52 of 34) and Thisara Perera (40 from 24) took things under control to provide both impetus and muscle to their innings. On a beautiful batting strip, 161 wasn’t going to be intimidating, but the Sunrisers had the bowling needed to challenge the RCB team.
Chris Gayle and Mayank Agarwal got off to an impressive start – 39 off five overs – to set the stage for the hosts, but the Sunrisers’ hopes of making a fist of it after snagging two quick wickets came crashing with Kohli’s introduction, with the Bangalore captain in the mood to plunder runs. Kohli signalled his intent without brooking any delay. The first ball he faced was short of a length and a shade wide – Kohli just hung in the crease before leaning into a powerful strike through the covers to get off the mark with a boundary.
The Sunrisers though took the wicket of Gayle and managed to keep Kohli and AB de Villiers quiet enough to restrict them to 50-2 by the end of the 8th over. The situation was tailor made for Kohli, who is eager to prove that Bengaluru can look beyond Gayle to carry the team through to victory. In the event, it was only to be the calm before a mighty storm, as Kohli flung open the floodgates in the ninth over when he flung Perera over the midwicket boundary.
As the innings grew in magnitude, it was hard not to reminisce his heroics at the Feroz Shah Kotla against the visiting Englishmen in October 2011. Just as he steered India to an easy victory on that day with a brilliantly paced 112, Kohli picked his spots at will to leave the result beyond doubt.
Kohli raced to the finish line with the urgency of a young man dying to get on a dinner date with the diva of his dreams. The marauding skipper underlined his dominance by almost tearing up the sight screen with a couple of brutal blows in the sixteenth over by Amit Mishra.
Kohli must have felt he owed his team a winning effort after the 46 in Hyderabad failed to ensure victory for his team. The captain delivered in thrilling style, creaming 42 runs off just 16 balls in the space of three overs to take his team past the finish line with more than two overs to spare.
It was an innings of substance, the kind that adds to the growing legend of a young man on a relentless mission to power his way through to success. The 24-year old, touted by many as a future India captain, showcased his burning desire to take charge of the situation and lead his team from the front in an effort that could spur his team on to greater things in the sixth edition of the IPL.
It is hard to imagine that the young man was worth only $30,000 in the first season of this thriving tournament. But a dismal first season was long forgotten as Kohli grew in stature with each passing season before being elevated to captain the team this season. Among the most experienced players in the short format, Kohli has played 122 matches, scoring 18 fifties, amassing over 3000 runs at a strike rate in excess of 125.
If Kohli can sustain his form through the coming few weeks, he could help add an interesting dimension to the IPL season by bringing the Royal Challengers front and centre in the discussion for the title. With Mumbai and Chennai stalking the attention of most analysts, the Royal Challengers are beginning to look formidable in these early days of the sixth season. But the man bearing the burden of hopes is ever so willing to carry it with a lightness and grace that betrays his age.