SK Flashback: Virat Kohli scores his maiden international century
In the careers of most top players, there is often a key moment where they show that it could be the point of start of an illustrious and great career, which will distinguish the player from his peers. That moment happened for Virat Kohli exactly 7 years ago on December 24, 2009, when he scored his first international century to help India chase down a stiff target (which would be the first of many as he continued to show nerves of steel and mastered the art of successfully chasing down big totals).
Also Read: SK Flashback: When Virat Kohli ushered in a new era in Indian cricket
In the fourth ODI of the bilateral series between hosts Sri Lanka and India, Kohli scored a brilliant 107 off 114 deliveries to help India chase down the target of 315 set by the home team. While it was Gautam Gambhir who rightly took the plaudits for his majestic 150, Kohli’s efforts didn’t go unnoticed and it helped him cement his spot in the Indian team.
Early Days
Kohli first came into the public focus when he captained the India under-19 team to World Cup glory in 2008, and became only the second Indian to lift the trophy. He was rewarded with an IPL contract with Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Indian senior team selectors also took note of the youngster.
The player made his ODI debut later in the year as a teenager against Sri Lanka at Dambulla. With injuries to Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, India were left with just Gautam Gambhir as the specialist opener and the team management opted to choose Kohli over Subramaniam Badrinath to play at the top with Gambhir.
While it was a debut to forget for the youngster as he scored just 12 runs to see his team get thrashed by 8 wickets, the management continued to persist with Kohli to open the innings and he showed some glimpses of this talent in the series, which included a half-century.
Also Read: Virat Kohli's 5 best Test victories as captain
Despite a brief period outside the team and doubts over his temperament, Kohli continued to be on the selectors’ radar, and he made a match-winning 79 not out to help India defeat West Indies in the 2009 Champions Trophy.
After starting his ODI career as an opener, Kohli was slowly starting to establish himself in the middle-order, and he was selected for the ODI series against the visiting Sri Lankan side in December 2009.
Kohli played the first two games, and scored 54 in the second ODI, but was dropped for Yuvraj Singh in the third game. But Yuvraj failing to impress in the match, Kohli got his chance yet again in the fourth game at Kolkata. And he ensured that after the game at Eden Gardens, his position in the side wouldn’t be a matter of debate again.
Sri Lanka bat first and post a challenging total
The series had seen high scores by both sides, with Sri Lanka almost managing to pull off a chase of 414 in the first game, and then successfully chasing down 302 in the second game, which was then followed by Tendulkar ensuring that India chased 243 with ease in the third game.
Hence it was imperative that Sri Lanka posted a good total after Kumar Sangakkara won the toss at Eden Gardens and decided to bat first. Upul Tharanga’s excellent knock of 118 and his century partnership with skipper Sangakkara (who scored 60) along with contributions from other middle-order batsmen helped the visitors to finish with a challenging total of 315-8 off their allocated 50 overs.
India’s chase begins with early wickets
Chasing a target with the required run-rate more than run-a-ball, India hoped that their star batsmen Tendulkar and Sehwag will give the team a strong start, but both batsmen had been dismissed by the fourth over, with the score at 23-2.
Gautam Gambhir was joined at the crease by 21-year-old Virat Kohli, and with regular MS Dhoni still missing because of a two-game ban because of slow over-rate in previous matches, the visitors smelt an opportunity to go level in the series.
Brilliant Partnership
The two Delhi batsmen started a brilliant counter-attack and ensured that they kept rotating the strike and the required run-rate was in check. The left-right batting combination helped as the bowlers weren’t able to settle down with their bowling line.
Bowling under the lights, the Sri Lankan spinners saw their efficacy reduce as they struggled because of the dew. Sangakkara’s strategy to wait for the batsmen to make a mistake in the middle-overs also backfired as Gambhir and Kohli kept the scoreboard ticking without taking any risks.
Kohli got a reprieve when Sangakkara failed to hold on to a difficult chance after the batsman had edged a delivery off Dilshan when he was at 88. The two batsmen kept pace with each other and both moved from 99 to 100 off consecutive balls.
Also Read: Virat Kohli's journey from December 2006 to December 2016
The current Indian Test captain was eventually dismissed on the score of 107 off 114 deliveries which included 11 boundaries and a six and a major chunk of his tally was scored by running singles and twos. With the team score at 247 in the 40th over, India seemed to be coasting towards victory when Kohli’s miscued shot off Suraj Randiv went straight to substitute fielder M Pushpakumara at long-on.
The dismissal of Kohli ended the 225-run stand put on by him and Gambhir, and the southpaw ensured no further hiccups as India overhauled Sri Lanka’s total with 11 deliveries to spare.
Gambhir was adjudged the player of the game for his unbeaten 150 off 137 deliveries, and due credit was given to Kohli as well for his knock – the first of many international centuries in his already illustrious career (as of 2016) and India took a 3-1 lead in the series.
With the fifth game at Kotla, Delhi being abandoned because of pitch conditions, the partnership of Gambhir and Kohli gained more importance in helping the home side clinch the series.
What followed next?
The mature century helped Kohli cement a regular spot in the Indian ODI XI, and he went on to be a key member of the side which won the 2011 Cricket World Cup, and later made his Test debut in 2011 and soon established himself in the team in the longer version of the sport as well.
Kohli has already built a reputation as one of the best batsmen in ODI history with many match-winning knocks scored batting second in difficult conditions, and it is only apt that he announced his arrival to world cricket with his maiden century helping his team chase down a tricky target set by the opposition at a key juncture in the series.