Final Day of the first Test Match of the Australia vs India series. 364 runs to win; 98 overs to bat. Enter India.
When Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay walked out to bat, everyone seemed to be more concerned about the 98 overs to bat than the 364 runs which had to be scored. Shikhar Dhawan got out early, thanks to a poor decision by the umpire, Marais Erasmus. Little did we know then that he would make a few more errors of judgement as the day moved along.
The score became 57-2 and every Indian fan had a sense of déjà-vu. Play well for a few days in an overseas test, then be tamed as the match progresses. This is how it has been for India overseas in the last few years. This was until a certain man called Virat Kohli arrived. Stand-in- skipper for this test, and having scored a brilliant 115 in the first innings, India needed him to carry out another rescue act along with the patient and solid Murali Vijay. And boy, didn’t he do that?
On the final day, after the bowlers have pounded in and the batsmen have run on the pitch, the probabilities increase. Kohli raised above all that.Vijay played really well for his 99 given the conditions, but he kept getting beaten once in a while. He edged a few that fell short. When he felt the pressure had become too much, he played a low-percentage shot, like when he was dropped by Mitchell Marsh. In seclusion, it was still a remarkable innings given the circumstances and the match state; in comparison with Kohli, it was a footnote.
After seeing the way Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma struggled, Virat Kohli’s effort seemed to be more special. All through the day, Kohli had just reacted to the ball. As he said after the match got over, his eyes were always on the 364 runs to be scored and not the 98 overs which India had to bat to save the test on the final day. It’s easier said than done. He was captaining for the first time. He relished the responsibility and performed his role to perfection, showing how important a captain is for the team. He had been hit on the helmet the first ball he faced. They treated him a little condescendingly, he would have thought, by checking on him as if he were a child in an adults’ game. He had reacted a bit like a child with his in-your-face celebrations during Australia’s second innings. To have an empty mind then is some achievement.
The swagger, class and determination he portrayed were unmatched. To score two centuries in a single test in itself is not an easy task, but to do so in your first match as a captain and in the match situation on both the occasions he came out to bat made it even more astounding. It seemed to go well for India and just when Indian fans were overcoming all their pessimism and thoughts of a dramatic Indian win were beginning to harbour, disaster struck.
With 122 more runs needed and twenty-nine overs left, Vijay got out on 99, missing out a well deserved century. It was the third instance of him getting out in the 90s in the recent past after his 97 in Durban and 95 at Lord’s. Virat had just reached his hundred and became only the second batsman in the history of cricket to score two centuries in his debut match as captain after Greg Chappell. Soon Rahane and Rohit perished, the former thanks to a poor decision. Saha displayed some inspirational resistance and got out after trying to be a bit too extravagant. And then the man who played one of the best Test knocks of recent times, arguably the best while chasing, got out trying to swipe the ball over midwicket, but he mistimed it and for a second everything came to a standstill. Immediately, the crowd stood out on its feet and applauded with fervour; they had witnessed some spectacular batting, after all. Soon India were bowled out and it marked the end of one of the greatest Tests played in recent times.
This test match was special for more than one reason, be it for what had transpired over the past week following Hughes’ death or all the diverse emotions expressed in the five days of the Test Match and the stupendous quality of cricket played by both sides. At the end of the day, while Australians were celebrating their win, Virat Kohli stood on one side and reflected back on what happened in these five days. Indian fans have experienced truffle-like taste of victory, the bitter-gourd flavour of defeat, the sweet relief of stealing a draw. But for once, the adrenaline was soaring despite losing? The exhilaration of defeat? It felt new. Was it due to the downplayed expectations or something else? It was well and truly a roller-coaster ride. Cricket and life will continue to go on. This time Test cricket dug in and got through to tea.
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