Indian batter Virat Kohli celebrates his century during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 match between India and South Africa, at Eden Gardens, in Kolkata, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023.
PTI Photo
Kolkata: As 66,000 cellphone camera lights illuminated Eden Gardens and the noise built up gradually, Virat Kohli prepared for the imminent moment. He had missed it in Dharamsala against New Zealand, being dismissed for 95. He had let go of the opportunity in Mumbai against Sri Lanka, falling for 88 on a flat pitch and a flatter attack. On his 35th birthday, at the iconic venue, he wasn't going to throw it away again after all the hard work. The moment came when Kohli pushed a Kagiso Rabada fuller ball to cover for a single to bring up ODI century No. 49, levelling with his childhood idol and batting great Sachin Tendulkar.
The cheers reached a crescendo and Kohli celebrated the moment with a gentle wave to the crowd. He appeared more relieved than elated. All the hype around his 49th felt more like a distraction amid a dream World Cup campaign and he, and the team, can focus on unfinished business.
"I'm grateful to god for giving me the chance to play and contribute to the team's success. It's great to get a hundred on my birthday in front of this big crowd at this great venue," Kohli told the host broadcaster after India's innings.
Nonetheless, it is a milestone worth celebration. Where Kohli's 49th, which could have been terminated when he was in his mid-30s had Quinton de Kock not grassed a difficult chance, came in his 277th innings, Tendulkar had taken 452, highlighting the prolificity of the former. But this is not to suggest Kohli is better than Tendulkar, who played in a different era and in different conditions, faced different bowlers and challenges and was untouched by the T20 culture for the majority of his international career.
In terms of quality, Kohli has had many better innings. In terms of dominance, it lacked Kohli's punch and panache. It was a workmanlike knock. More about grind than grandeur. But given the nature of the surface, it was also the need of the hour.
"It was a wicket that was tricky to bat on, we got a great start from Rohit (Sharma) and Shubman (Gill), my job was to keep it going on," Kohli pointed out. "The ball started gripping and turning after the 10th over, it slowed down and then my role was to bat deep with the others playing around me. That was what was communicated to me by the team management, Shreyas (Iyer) played well and we got a few more runs towards the end."
Having gone through a lean patch for almost three years since the beginning of 2020, Kohli, just like Tendulkar in his late 30s, seems to have found a second wind. He has battled self-doubt and endured difficult times during which he lost captaincy in all three formats. At the beginning, when his career was going awry, he showed the determination and character to bring it back on track. Towards the end of his career, he is displaying the same traits to stay as crucial to the team as he has been for a decade now. The crown may have slipped, but Kohli remains the king.