Kohli stands alone at the top

Mumbai: One of the most iconic lines to ever be delivered at the post-match ceremony was when a young Virat Kohli said: “He has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years, it was time we carried him.”

The ‘him’ in question was Sachin Tendulkar. The moment in time was April 2, 2011. The occasion: India won the 2011 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium.

It was assumed for long that Kohli couldn’t have summarised the impact Tendulkar has had on his life better than that verse. On Wednesday, November 15, 2023, he showed that he could.

The occasion: India were in control against New Zealand in the first semifinal of the World Cup, and Kohli was on 98. 

With a wristy (of course) flick towards deep square leg, Kohli, who had only a few overs ago complained of cramping, set off with a double on his mind. The first one came fast and the second one came faster, but the sprint didn’t end on the pitch. 

Kohli a fair few steps beyond the crease with both his hands raised before pulling off a leaping fist pump. In the same motion, he, rather uncharacteristically, fell to his knees and dropped his head down in disbelief. 

Not one to stay down, he rose just as quickly before undoing his gloves with his eyes firmly resting on the ‘President's Box’. Once the helmet came off and he placed it methodically on the floor, his eyes returned to the Box and then he proceeded to take a bow, a solitary bow, and pointed in the direction of Tendulkar. 

Tendulkar - behind reflective flares and a smile so wide - had by then risen to this feet, as had the rest of the stadium, for he, like the others, was in awe of what Kohli had achieved. Fifty One-Day International hundreds! 

For over a decade, Tendulkar’s 49th-century mark was considered to be a glitch in the matrix. It was widely believed that no one could topple that mark. It, in a sense, was the batting equivalent of climbing Mount Everest for the first time ever, and so, cricket continued to revel in the nostalgia of Tendulkar. 

Kohli, who made his debut in 2008, showed plenty of promise and was racking up centuries at a furious pace. Still, it was assumed that he would plateau at some point. Lo and behold, he did for over two years starting 2020, and that really set the cat among the pigeons. 

He was getting older and the centuries weren’t coming as frequently as they had just a few years ago. This was believed to be the end of that pursuit, at least that’s what most of us thought. Not Kohli. 

The man of the process stuck to the process. He stayed fitter than is needed for cricket, went through his routines with Olympian precision, worked out his mental health and kept bouncing back even if fate told him to stay down. And just like that we’re back at the Wankhede. This time it was Tendulkar’s turn to wax lyrical. 

“The first time I met you in the Indian dressing room, you were pranked by other teammates into touching my feet. I couldn’t stop laughing that day. But soon, you touched my heart with your passion and skill. I am so happy that that young boy has grown into a ‘Virat’ player. I couldn’t be happier that an Indian broke my record. And to do it on the biggest stage - in the World Cup Semifinal - and at my home ground is the icing on the cake,” he wrote on Twitter. 

“It feels like a dream. Too good to be true. It's the stuff of dreams. Sachin paaji was there in the stands. It's very difficult for me to express it,” is what Kohli responded with during the innings break.

Kohli should know by now that he needn’t use words to express how he feels, a bat in his hand will do.  

CENTURIES BREAK-UP

1-10 (810 days, 83 matches)

11-20 (943 days, 58 matches)

21-30 (1,022 days, 53 matches)

31-40 (499 days, 30 matches)

41-50 (1713 days, 67 matches)