With every move on the cricket field, Virat Kohli creates theatre of his very own

“Compelling viewing” – Critic 1

“A masterclass in the subtle art of batting” – Critic 2

“The lead character takes you on an unforgettable journey” – Critic 3

If Virat Kohli’s performance in the second Test in South Africa was a movie, the critics would not have been able to hold back. There was something for everyone – in different shades, in different moments – each showcasing a quality unique to the main character.

There was some drama to begin with – Bhuvneshwar Kumar dropped, changes made, ex-players calling for his head, selection strategies dissected. Through all this, Kohli looked like someone whose confidence in himself was unshakable; a look that said that he would prevail in the end. Then again, it was also an opening that pulled us in right away. After that, there was no backing out. You were with Kohli for good or for bad, through thick and thin.

After the drama, came the heartache. When you have managed to piss off almost everyone, you hope that at least the person who was at the root cause of the debate decides to back you up with a telling act. Instead, the villains in the piece strode in and started hammering the Indian bowlers all around the park. It didn’t look good and it showed on Kohli’s face… dropping a catch in the slips didn’t help matters. He wears his heart on the sleeve and it wasn’t until South Africa worked themselves into a collapse (two run outs in five overs) towards close of Day 1 that Kohli finally seemed to relax. India had finally managed to work their way back into the game.

The Virat Kohli show with the bat

Come Day 2, the stage was set for the star to make his entrance. The Protean tail wagged a little but India wrapped up their innings for 335. A decent total no doubt but one that the visitors would take given the superb start South Africa were given by their openers.

India started their innings sedately enough. KL Rahul and Murali Vijay put on 28 without much ado and the South African bowlers were getting nothing from the wicket. Then, Rahul attempted to drive, the ball stopped on him a little and Morne Morkel caught it neatly on the return. What happened next can be called a sudden twist in the plot, inexplicably Cheteshwar Pujara was run out attempting a quick single off the very first ball he faced.

As he slowly made his way back to the pavilion, surrounded by clouds of dubious intent, Pujara cut a sorry figure. He had let his team down. But even before you could feel for the Saurashtra batsman, Kohli strode into the centre with a sense of purpose that is unmatched in modern day cricket. Two wickets in two balls, two wickets on the same score and in walks the captain. This is the kind of entry that star kids dream of; this is when they save the day.

He didn’t waste time showing he meant business either. The first 27 balls he faced saw him scoring 24 runs including a four through the covers with a shot that could only be described as a defensive push. Pujara and Rahul’s dismissals were forgotten quickly as Vijay and Kohli set about rebuilding the innings in some style.

So good were they looking at one point, that Kohli couldn’t help but utter a memorable dialogue that will probably be remembered for a long time too: “Sham tak khelenge to unki g***d fatt jaayegi.”

Vijay, though, didn’t take him up on that and neither did Rohit Sharma. They both found their way back to the dressing room in the post-tea session. Kohli, on the other hand, had batted with such ease that one could be tempted to dismiss the pitch as one that was great for batting.

The bowlers tried the line outside the off-stump, they tried the fifth stump line, they tried the short ball but Kohli weathered it all. His scoring was a rate that the rest of the Indian top order could not even fathom. The in-between length deliveries that others had been defending against were scoring opportunities for Kohli. The trick there was how certain he was with his footwork — it also allowed him to score many runs through the cover region.

In Hardik Pandya, Kohli found an able ally as Day 2 came to an end. He was still 15 short of his century but he knew his job was far from done as India were 153 behind South Africa’s first innings total.

Day 3 dawned with the main character looking for support. Cricket isn’t a one-man show. As good as Kohli was, he still needed somebody to stay with him in the middle. But when Pandya fell early to a schoolboy error while running between the wickets, the end was nigh.

Still, Kohli fought on bravely with support from R Ashwin. The duo put on a vital 71-run partnership which helped India cut down the deficit to just 28 runs by the time the innings ended.

Kohli was the last man out after scoring a 153 (217 balls). He carried the weight on the Indian innings and showed the team what he truly meant by intent. That said, perhaps he also needs to understand that not too many cricketers in the world, forget India, can play the way he does.

For the latest act, Jasprit Bumrah stepped up and claimed two early wickets. From the other end, Kohli employed R Ashwin from the get-go but his expectations were of nothing less than perfection. The off-spinner troubled Dean Elgar no end but when he dropped one a little short, the disappointment was made clear by the Indian skipper’s actions.

In between, he constantly gave Elgar the lip. It wasn’t anything vicious but this was Kohli showing that he would spare no effort in getting the batsmen out.

Then, just as play was called off for bad light, he walked into the match referee’s room and clearly seemed agitated. He gesticulated in the room and then came out and was seen making a point to KL Rahul and some other teammates. There is never any let-up as far as the Indian skipper is concerned.

At close, South Africa are ahead by 118 runs with eight wickets in hand but the match is far from over. Kohli knows that and as we will draw closer to the climax, you can be pretty sure that the 29-year-old will want to be there too.

Indeed, the more one watches Kohli, the more one can’t help but think that he’s putting on a performance that is at once compelling and yet very much within the realm of sport. And that is what makes it extraordinary.

There’s a touch of theatre in everything he does on the field, it pulls you in whether you like it or not and forces you to react. It is true of all those on the field with him and also of all those watching. That is when Kohli thrives and in many ways, it is no less than creating art from cricket.