A Captain Who Always Went For The Jugular

IT was in Adelaide in 2014 that Virat Kohli laid down his marker and set out his philosophy—not with words, but through a blazing bat and burning eyes that defied all convention and most logic.

- ANAND VASU

It was the first Test of the series, and the city of churches had served up an unusually batting-friendly surface. Typically, Australia like to welcome visiting teams, especially those from the subcontinent, at their one-time fortress, the Gabba in Brisbane. But the passing of Phil Hughes and last-minute changes to the schedule meant that the Adelaide Oval was where things would kick off.

Australia piled on the runs, and Kohli crafted a beautiful first-innings score of 115. But the real Kohli emerged in the final innings of the game, when India were set a notional target of 364. Wickets fell, Nathan Lyon settled into a metronomic groove, and a healthy 242 for 2, where all four results were possible, turned into 277 for 5.

Wriddhiman Saha joined Kohli in the middle and was given a simple instruction: hit Lyon as far as he possibly could, not just over the ropes but out of the ground into the grounds of the cathedral where Vijay Hazare had famously worshipped before becoming the first Indian to score twin tons at the venue back in the 1947-48 season.

Saha clattered one six and a four, but was exhorted to go on, and Lyon was too clever for him. With little batting to come, you would have expected Kohli to farm the strike and shut down the chase, batting for a draw as the shadows lengthened, keeping the scoreline intact at 0-0 before the remaining Tests followed.