There is a problem. The problem is Virat Kohli.
Sports writers pride themselves on believing that they have the perfect tools at their disposal to describe the sport. They are the medium, they believe, through which glory on the field is translated into poetry in words.
But then Virat Kohli comes along.
He plays a brilliant innings. And we gush. Then he plays another outstanding innings. And we gush some more. And then he plays another outstanding innings. And by that time, we have run out of things to say.
He keeps on doing it. There comes a moment when the best course of action is to stop and silently admire brilliance. Currently in cricket, Virat Kohli radiates that brilliance. Because to even try and describe his unbeaten 51-ball 82 which took India to the semi-finals of the World Twenty20 would be a disservice.
Unreal talents
So the next best thing to do is look at the other-worldliness of the encounter and chuckle disbelievingly. When the man came in to bat in the fourth over in India's chase, the required run rate was touching 8.5 an over. Over the next 14 overs, it increased. It touched nine, ten and then 11 – at the end of the 17th over, it had touched 13.
This was supposed to be difficult. Other teams panic when the required run rate rises. They resort to panicky big hits. They swing hard and find the fielder. The web starts closing in and sooner or later they succumb.
Teams that do manage to get out of such situations need to have a few things going their way. Perhaps a rank long hop from a bowler. A few extras or fumbles on the field. A few catches going down. To hit big runs on difficult pitches, a team requires a tiny element of luck.
How does he do it again?
But, of course, India did not need luck. The chasm between the runs required and the balls left increased but Kohli continued serenely. Yuvraj Singh suffered cramps and hobbled but Kohli stayed unfazed. Singh’s wicket should have kickstarted a collapse but it only served to make Kohli even more determined.
No big hits. Just done so easily. A yorker outside the off stump was guided to the third-man boundary. A roll of the wrists and the ball was speeding away to the fine-leg boundary. An aerial punch, placed over the fielder and dispatched to the extra-cover boundary. A delightful booming cover drive to finish. Easily done. Game won.
Except it is not easy. It is important to remember that over and over again. On slow pitches, getting boundaries at will isn't easy. To get four boundaries off four perfectly good balls is a task that should, by all counts, be impossible.
But that is when sport becomes so captivating. Every once in a while, there come individuals who look at what is impossible and destroy conventional expectations. In tennis, we have the trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. In football, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s superhuman talents have become the stuff of legend. It seems unreal when it is taking place but yet for Virat Kohli, doing the impossible is all in a day’s job.
Indian cricket has been blessed to have graduated from Sachin Tendulkar to Virat Kohli. Yet things seem to have come full circle. Like his mentor behind him, Kohli is single-handedly taking India to victories and may well take his team to the title. But in the long run, this burden must be removed from his shoulders. Indian cricket benefited when Tendulkar finally had other comrades beside him to share his load. It is now time India’s other batting stars also step up to play sidekick to cricket’s current Super Man.
Final Score: India (161/4 in 19.1 overs) beat Australia (160/6 in 20 overs) by six wickets
Buy an annual Scroll Membership to support independent journalism and get special benefits.
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!