'Superman' Kohli doesn't want the headlines

INDIA TOUR OF SOUTH AFRICA

• Last updated on Sat, 17 Feb, 2018, 02:01 PM Kaushik Rangarajan in Centurion

Virat Kohli slammed his 35th ODI ton at Centurion , and the third of the series in the sixth game © BCCI

An internet meme had become quite popular on social media among South Africans in the early stages of the ODI series. It connected Virat Kohli and the now erstwhile South African president Jacob Zuma. There were different variants in terms of the graphics used but they all ended with the same punchline: "South Africa can't dismiss either."

As it turned out, South Africa actually had Zuma removed on February 14 and two days later, Kohli walked off from SuperSport Park with an unbeaten century - his 35th in ODIs - with a 5-1 series win and a couple more trophies for his mantelpiece.

Kohli's 129 in the series finale gave him a scarcely believable series tally of 558 runs at a humble average of 186, the highest aggregate in a bilateral series. By the end of the innings, in which he'd struck 19 fours and showboated two sixes at the end, pockets had been turned out, drawers rifled through. But fresh superlatives to describe his ODI batting genius remained in severe short supply. Ravi Shastri said if it were up to him, he would visit a bookstore and pick up the Oxford dictionary to awkward laughter.

No attempts at humour, silly or otherwise, will do justice to the level of batting Kohli scaled on this tour. In fact, since his double failure in the Cape Town Test defeat at the start of the tour, he hit an imperious 153 at this very venue and then proceeded to play two gems worth 54 and 41 on a spiteful Wanderers track. Then came the ODIs, the Indian captain approached his batting in a semi-meditative state, opting to practice in the nets only twice - before the first ODI in Durban and then before Cape Town - at the only venue he failed in the Tests. That he still cantered his way to a record tally was a testament to his mental strength and powers of visualisation as much as it was to his being in a very deep shade of purple patch.

"I obviously didn't have much time to prepare because I was doing something very important, I was getting married. So three weeks I was totally away from the game, but at the back of my mind there was always this motivation that I just want to be in South Africa. It's embracing being in a difficult situation and that's all we speak about in the change room as well," Kohli said in an otherwise brusque press conference after the series win.

"When things are hostile and when thing are not going your way, you want to go out there in the middle rather than getting extra sleep in the room. It is a very small change of thought but that makes a massive difference because when you go out there, you either want to take up the challenge or you don't and that can only come from here.

"The power of the mind is much greater than practicing hours in the nets. You might practice for two months but if you are not game ready before the game you are going to look like a fool. I rather focus here a lot because I understand that we play so much cricket that you don't necessarily need to go into the nets for hours and hours every day but you would rather tune your head and things can happen on the field which even you don't expect because you just want to be in the battle and deliver for your team. Come what may, in any situation, you just want to be out there and help the team win games. That's always been my mindset and that's actually even my strength as well," he added.

One of the more incredible things about Kohli batting in an ODI is how rarely he disappoints. Batting on 62 in Centurion, moments after creaming a drive off Andile Phehlukwayo through extra cover, Kohli played a low-percentage cut shot to a ball that bounced more and wasn't quite there for the cut. He was beaten. He gave a smile, walked towards the square-leg umpire, muttering away to himself having played so loosely. When he played Phehlukwayo in the next over, he traded the wild slash for timing and picked up two more boundaries with minimal fuss. It is the sheer stupidness of his talent that the simpler virtues of routine and basics aren't spoken of.

In this series, the Indian captain has added a dash of red - a wrist band, an inner t-shirt - to his blue limited-overs ensemble. That coupled with all the runs he scored may have contributed to the 'Superman' comparisons that some of the placards at SuperSport Park seemed to call him. Shastri was bull-headed that his captain was the best batsman in the world. "I've seen him batting across all conditions, in all formats. And it's not just averages, it's the way you get runs, when you get it, and the impact those runs have on what the team does. I would simply say he's the best batsman in the world now," Shastri declared.

But Kohli, who is more Clark Kent than Superman in press conferences, remained unwilling to buy into tags. Weirdly enough, despite a stellar show on an individual and a collective front, he seemed fixated on revisiting wounds from the Centurion past where India dropped the Test series a month ago. Then the defeat had hurt and the reportage clearly irked and today seemed a good day to settle some scores.

"Look as I said, I'm not going to give in to this. I know for a fact that 90 percent of the people didn't give us a chance after two Tests. I was sitting in the same room giving a press conference. So we understand where we've come from. I'm not going to live in a dream land right now and accept all the praise and sit here and feel good about this, because it doesn't matter to me. Honestly it doesn't.

"At this stage, I don't feel like competing with anyone. It is all about how I prepare before the game and what my work ethics are and how I am feeling on game day and my only motivation is to get into that frame of mind. I am not competing with anyone at all. If anything, I only look to help my team in any way I can. And during the course of that, I have mentioned that if you are thinking about the team, special things happen.

"I don't want any tags, I don't want any headlines, I just go out there and do my job, it is upto the people to write what they write, I don't want to be called anything, its my job, I am supposed to do what I am doing and I am not doing anyone a favour as I said, so just want t be in this zone of working as hard as I can and trying to do the best for the team. Everyone is doing a job, they have the freedom to write and say what they want but its very important that I don't change with that because my zone is very simple, it is simply doing hard work and performing for the team."

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INDIA TOUR OF SOUTH AFRICA, 2018

Kohli's confidence is astonishing, his batting even more so

Sagar Chawla • Last updated on Sat, 17 Feb, 2018, 01:46 AM

Kohli's moves are either successes, or they're things of the past © AFP

Virat Kohli slumps over with his hands on the knees as he gasps for air. He's been hit on the ribs by a fierce short delivery from Kagiso Rabada. It's not a crippling blow though. Certainly not something which will shake Kohli's confidence up. He's broadening his shoulders again, getting back into stance. Next one's another short ball, and it's been sent soaring over fine leg. This is ODI cricket. It is Kohli's yard.

When he's not busy looking furious at Rohit Sharma for running him out, Kohli is scoring runs in ODIs. He has scored 558 runs at an average of 186.00 to lead India to their maiden series win in South Africa. This is the most runs by any player in a bilateral ODI series ever. His batting has reached heights which very few can comprehend, let alone scale. The energy hasn't diminished one bit from his younger days. It's all running for Kohli. And it's not only restricted to ODIs, the same applies to all formats.

***

Even with the barrier of a TV screen, the bubble of energy surrounding Kohli - in whatever he's doing - is quite tangible. If you live in the vicinity of an India game, you could probably hear him roar upon opening the window. There are many captains who prefer to maintain a stoic appearance so that they don't give much away. Kohli is not one of them.

He even goes a step further as he proceeds to goad the opposition. He will celebrate right in the faces of dismissed batsmen. He will sledge the incoming ones. At times, he will be disgruntled with umpires, match-referees, his teammates, himself. Then at other times, he will giggle along with them. This is a man with perhaps the most scrutinized job in world cricket. But you wouldn't be able to tell looking at him, because if there's one thing which defines Kohli, it's how he backs himself to do almost anything, which he has time and again shown on this tour.

Make what you will of his infamous boast to Murali Vijay of batting until evening, or his non-stop chatter with Hardik Pandya to help with the reverse-swing, Kohli was so sure about himself that he genuinely looked more focused about what was happening at the other end.

His confidence is not always well-placed of course. Sometimes it's baffling how he overlooks, or worse, denies pretty obvious things. But Kohli is stubborn like that. The pitch at Centurion was uncharacteristically sluggish for the second Test. India felt the need for a close-in slip fielder even with pacers bowling. Now, Kohli's record at normal slips itself is poor. This is close-in slip, which is at least five yards closer than normal. The difficulty is ramped up many notches. So guess who he eventually chose for the role with a helmet on? That's right.

That's what Kohli does. He goes out of his way to be conspicuous about not admitting weakness. It was the same with Ajinkya Rahane's exclusion too. The Indian captain was so difficult about it. He sledged reporters who dared raise question marks. He bent them into submission. Kohli's moves are either successes, or they're things of the past.

International cricket is a hard grind. It's barely logical to invite more pressure than there already is. Why rebuff reporters questioning team-selections? Why banter with hostile overseas crowds? Why get under the opponent's skin, to such an extent that they're desperate to give you a receipt?

Now this is the part where it gets very good, and which explains his confidence. It's the part where Kohli has a bat in hand. He's made for the grind.

***

There's often a list of dos and don'ts that a bowler has while planning for a batsman. In limited-overs cricket, that list is mostly reduced to a bunch of don'ts in order to restrict run-scoring. The don'ts against Kohli go something like this: don't bowl short - he'll pull, don't bowl wide - he now plays the cut more often, don't bowl for the drive - he'll nail it, don't bowl anything starting from the inside of off-stump - you'll be flicked off the face of the earth, don't bowl spin - he'll milk it, don't bowl. DON'T BOWL.

There are stages in ODIs where most players use release shots to counter the growing pressure. These shots are fraught with risk. Kohli doesn't do risks. He doesn't have release shots, he has wrists. He hardly plays the slog-sweep, although he did play one in the final ODI because he was bored of the series. He hardly hits the ball in the air - which lends to his unprecedented levels of consistency. And he still has the capability to score so freely.

"Today I was feeling really good. Just decided to start timing the ball," is what he said after his third hundred of the ODI series to seal it 5-1. That's all he does. He times the ball. It's very easy. But for that, you'll have to be Kohli.

In Test matches, there's known to be a sixth stump corridor that teams have targetted against Kohli in seaming conditions, as England advertised in 2014. There was this uncontrollable urge which he had to hang his bat out to dry. Of course, this weakness could only be exploited in certain conditions which are hard to find in most corners. The Wanderers Test, however, showed that Kohli has come a long way from 2014. The Bullring had turned into a snake-pit, and it was here that Kohli's confidence joined hands with his skill-set to create magic. India's decision at the toss initially baffled, and later astonished, as Kohli went on to play a couple of innings which he had no right of playing under such hostility. Those knocks might have only been worth 54 and 41, but the extent to which he reduced the luck factor through his control, it was incredible. He was so far ahead on the curve that he could come from behind and lap everyone else.

Pundits try to science their way into decoding Kohli's success. His head is on top of the ball. His feet are decisively forward and back. His balance is serene. All this is undeniably true, but it can't be taught. It's natural genius. The technique is infallible, with his bowled-percentage standing at a staggeringly low 8.5%. There's no one else, barring Steve Smith probably, who misses the flick shot as little as he does. He has it all figured out.

What might yet be the best part of Kohli's batting, of course, are its aesthetics. A Virat Kohli cover-drive is as pure as a moonlit vent in a marble temple. Thousands throng stadiums to be cleansed by it. In an era of dwindling audiences, it's the drawing power of players like Kohli that helps the game stay on rails.

***

It has been unbelievable from the Indian captain in South Africa. The T20Is are still to be played, but nothing that happens in them can take anything away from what has been Kohli's tour. On the odd occasion, that urge to poke outside off stump has relapsed for him, and England must have watched it closely. But Kohli will cross that bridge when he gets there. And then he'll back himself like he always does.

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The V-I in Virat stands for 5-1? — Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats) February 16, 2018

Kohli bags everything

Is that even a surprise? Three hundreds in the series including an unbeaten 129 tonight. He is the man of the match and he is without a doubt, the player of the series as well.

Incredible

This was South Africa. Where India has always stumbled. And it is 5-1. Who would have thought! I — Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) February 16, 2018

Kohli day, jolly day. @imVkohli made no 35 look ridiculously easy. ????????#INDvsSA — Ashwin Ravichandran (@ashwinravi99) February 16, 2018

Canter!

That's what it was! An absolute stroll in the park. India have chased it down with 107 balls to spare. Let that sink in. Kohli smashes Tahir down the track to seal the win. Kohli remains unbeaten on 129.

Dropped!

Stop the press! Virat Kohli has miscued one tonight and yet, South Africa fail to make use of the chance. Not that it's going to make a difference to the final result but still....India are running away with this. Just 31 more needed now.

Century number 35

82 balls, 17 boundaries and I can bet you that one can keep watching all 17 of those over and over again. The 17th boundary was hit straight past Tahir to bring up the three-figure mark. It's his 35th in ODI cricket. One of his most fluent hundreds this was. He is simply extraordinary! He is now the first Indian batsman to register three hundreds in a bilateral series.

Vaughan is off again!

He is off again ... @imVkohli ... Grestest ever chaser ... #SAvIND — Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) February 16, 2018

Definitely is!

This is batting straight out of a computer game. #SAvIND #Kohli — Kaushik Rangarajan (@kaushik_cb) February 16, 2018

OMG!!!

Just look at those shots! He is just timing them brilliantly tonight and in the process, Virat goes past Rohit Sharma's record to score the most number of runs in any bilateral series. He has now gone past 500 runs this series. Insane!

50.....again

He has been breathing fire today. Playing so freely chasing just 205 and he gets to another half-century. He now has a chance to bring up his 35th ODI ton today.

Dhawan falls

He was getting impatient and desperate with the runs only flowing from Kohli's blade. Eventually, he picks out backward point. He has had a top class series though. Rahane comes in at number 4.

Virat Kohli has now scored most runs in a bi-lateral ODI series in South Africa going past @KP24's tally of 454 runs in 2005. #SAvIND — Umang Pabari (@UPStatsman) February 16, 2018

Kohli is on fire

He is in red hot form. When hasn't he been in red hot form especially in limited overs cricket? Kohli is playing some gorgeous shots here as India race to 63 in the powerplay after Rohit's wicket. In the 11th over, the duo take the partnership past fifty as well. All too familiar.

Rohit falls

Extra bounce to the fore again! Rohit has played a couple of delightful shots but now fails to control a pull against Ngidi. The ball hits the glove and balloons up in the air to be taken by the keeper. India aren't making any changes to the batting order. It is Kohli at 3.

All Over! South Africa bowled out for 204

India are well on course for a 5-1! Shardul Thakur finishes off the South Africa innings in the 47th over, picking up his fourth wicket! India were all over South Africa today and the hosts never really forced a turn of tables.

Six aaannnddd OUT!!

Morne has had enough. He wants to target Hardik Pandya and is successful initially as the ball sails over deepmidwicket for a six. Hardik then bowls one short and wide and this time, the connection isn't good enough to carry the ball over the ropes. Shreyas Iyer takes the catch. South Africa are eight down now!

Impressive!

Most wkts in a bilateral series for India:

18 J Srinath v NZ, 2002/03 (7 mat)

18 A Mishra v Zim, 2013 (5)

17 KULDEEP YADAV this series *

16 Y CHAHAL this series * #SAvIND — Deepu Narayanan (@deeputalks) February 16, 2018

Morkel survives

Surprise! Surprise! It took a long time but then ball tracker confirms that Morne Morkel has indeed survived a lbw decision given against him. Chahal bowled one full that hit the batsman on the pad after his attempt to sweep failed. But there is turn on this surface for the leggie and with the ball having a fair distance to travel, it misses the leg stump.

He is a goner!

Well bowled Chahal! He entices Zondo with a tossed up delivery outside off, Zondo drives it up in the air and the ball lands safely for the batsmen to pick up a couple. The leggie does it again though and this time, the batsman ends up chipping it tamely to Hardik, who runs in from the boundary to take the catch. South Africa crumble!

Kuldeep is hurt

Kuldeep pitches a googly a little shorter as Phehlukwayo hits it back at him. The catch is dropped but that wouldn't worry India. Kuldeep has hurt his finger on the right hand and there's blood. The physio is out there to treat him. He is ok to resume bowling.

Fifty for Khaya

It's been a very good innings. Zondo reaches his first fifty in ODI cricket and it has come at a crucial time. He isn't pleased with the way things have gone in the last 45 minutes or so but he has to bat till the end now.

Poor shot

What was he thinking? South Africa needed him at the death. There are 17 overs left in the innings but Morris decides to take on Kuldeep. There is no conviction in this shot as he attempts a plain slog to gift Kuldeep his first wicket of the game. Zondo is watching helplessly on 49 at the other end.

Khaya Zondo was on 36 off 36 balls at the time of first drinks break.

He is on 48 off 64 at the time of second drinks break (scored 12 off 28 balls, faced only 28 out of 90 balls).#SAvIND — Deepu Narayanan (@deeputalks) February 16, 2018

Superb catch!

India have struck again! This is a familiar tale for South Africa as India keep chipping away. Shardul comes back into the attack to pick up his third wicket as Behardien tries toupper cutand is caught in superb fashion by Bumrah at third man. He covered a lot of ground and took a tumbling catch. SA five down as Morris joins Zondo.

Klaasen falls

He took his time to get his eye in and had slowly started to impose himself with some quick boundaries but just when South Africa were looking to build momentum, India strike again. Kohli has been giving Klaasen an earful during his brief stay and now he gives him a mild sendoff as well after taking a crisp catch. Klaasen wanted to drive the slower delivery but ends up hitting it straight to Kohli at short cover.

India are putting the brakes on the South African innings. Inevitable once AB got out. — Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) February 16, 2018

Timber!

Chahal slips in a quicker one to AB and the superman is castled! What a huge huge wicket this is for India. The hosts needed AB to bat deep into this innings but unfortunately, it's not happening today.

Zondo survives

The batsman has a big smile on his face! Zondo misses a sweep off Chahal and is rapped on the pad. As a result, he is given out. It looked plumb but after discussing with AB, the batsman takes the review. Replays show that the ball brushed the glove a touch and hence, the decision is overturned. Zondo then celebrates that in style by pulling Chahal over deep midwicket for a six as the crowd erupts. Dhoni wants Chahal to bowl the wrong un and the batsman responds in style by pulling it for another six to bring up the 100 for SA. This guy is looking good.

Resolute Zondo

As we witnessed earlier in the series, Khaya Zondo has surprisingly looked comfortable against the spinners compared to the other established players. Zondo has been able to read Kuldeep and now he smashes successive fours to create doubts in the bowler's mind. With Chahal also into the attack, Zondo also remains key in tackling the spin threat. SA are 72/2 after 17 overs so slowly they will have to think about upping the ante.

AB is the key

As Kohli introduces Kuldeep into the attack, South Africa will be keeping an eye on AB. After losing both Markram and Amla, the last thing they want is to lose AB with the wrist spinners being in the thick of things. He has to look to bat until the 40th over. Tough but that's the challenge that's been put in front of him.

Shardul has another one

Well, he has leaked a few boundaries but he has also bagged two wickets. Shardul rolls his fingers and bowls this one a bit wider making Markram reach for the ball. He connects but doesn't get enough elevation as his attempts to clear extra cover fails. Shreyas Iyer, who has had slippery fingers on this tour so far, judges it to perfection and gobbles a very good catch. South Africa are already in trouble here. 43/2 after 10 overs as Zondo joins AB out in the middle.

MS Dhoni becomes the third wicket-keeper to take 600 catches in international cricket after Mark Boucher and Adam Gilchrist. #SAvIND — Umang Pabari (@UPStatsman) February 16, 2018

Thakur lands early blow

He has been finding some good bounce on this surface. He has been treated to some boundaries early on but this time, he gets a wicket with a delivery bowled down leg. Amla tried to help it on its way but ends up gloving to the wicketkeeper. Thakur is pumped. It's been a very ordinary series for Amla.

Crowd get excited though as it is AB de Villiers who walks out to bat at number three.

Harsh tour for Manish and DK

So @im_manishpandey is in the team for Fielding only?@Narbavi — Vishal Gupta (@vishalsahar1999) February 16, 2018

Fair point

Im genuinely curious about Kedar Jadhavs fitness. He was rested because of a hamstring niggle...has he not recovered? Any update from the management? #SAvIND — Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) February 16, 2018

India's unbeaten run

As we wait for the first ball, here's a brief recap of India's stellar run in ODI cricket. They have now won nine ODI series on the trot.

Toss - India opt to bowl

Well, we were wondering if Kohli would put his middle order to test but he has opted to chase. He believes chasing on this hard surface can prove to be quite a challenge in itself. India have rested Bhuvneshwar Kumar and have brought in Shardul Thakur in his place. That's the only change whereas South Africa have four changes to their XI. WOW!! Rabada has been rested whereas Duminy and Miller will have some jitters after being left out.

India (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni(w), Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal

South Africa (Playing XI): Hashim Amla, Aiden Markram(c), AB de Villiers, Khaya Zondo, Farhaan Behardien, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Imran Tahir, Morne Morkel, Lungisani Ngidi

Time to test bench strength?

Our man at the ground Kaushik Rangarajan predicts Bhuvneshwar Kumar to get some rest. I would personally like Bumrah to get some breather as well. He has bowled the second most number of deliveries this year, just behind Kagiso Rabada. Kaushik has spotted Shardul Thakur bowling as well so we might see him play. How about the middle order? I wonder what the likes of Manish Pandey and Dinesh Karthik will be going through. Should they get a look in? You have your say.

The top order's impact

It's been discussed a lot recently. India have been over-reliant on their top order. The top three has done the bulk of the scoring so it's quite harsh to blame the middle order as well. But how much impact exactly have Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli actually made? Our statsman has come up with his analysis here.

Build up

How many dead rubbers in a limited-overs series carry a lot of significance? Hard to find many especially if it's a six-match series where one team managed to dominate the other. In spite of that, India have a lot riding on this final game of the series. Yes, South Africa have been hit by injuries to key players but one cannot take away India's achievement of winning a bilateral ODI series for the first time in South Africa. They have clinched the series 4-1 already and yet they have issues to sort out.

India's middle order is wobbly. They haven't stepped up to the plate. Ajinkya Rahane looked to have sealed the No.4 debate with a match-winning half-century in the first ODI but hasn't done much since then. Shreyas Iyer, MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya haven't been able to force the pace as well. India also have an issue with their sixth bowling option. In Kedar Jadhav's absence, it's been hard to trust Hardik Pandya with the task of bowling ten overs. He did bowl well in the previous game but the big question is, can he be consistent? And if he isn't, then who is going to fill in?

South Africa's problems are familiar. The backups simply haven't been good enough. Even the established players are struggling against India's wrist spinners. The work against spin is still in progress. They will be pleased with Hashim Amla finally finding some form but he needs to kick in and carry on to post big scores like he used to. Welcome to the live blog for the sixth and final ODI. Tweet in your opinions to @Narbavi and have them featured on the blog.

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