VIRAT Kohli stands 10cm taller than Sachin Tendulkar. On the opening day of the test series between SA and India at the Wanderers yesterday, he grew several feet in stature.
To Kohli has fallen the mission impossible of succeeding Tendulkar at No 4 in India’s batting line-up. How to replace a retired god? Score a century. And not just any century – score one that matters.
Kohli’s career-best 119, hammered out on an unforgiving anvil of a pitch for four-and-a-half hours in which he faced 181 balls and hit 18 fours, was exactly that. It was also the key to India reaching 255/5 at stumps.
No-one has Tendulkar’s temperament, experience or sense of responsibility, and few have his talent and skill.
But Kohli, playing in his 21st test, showed yesterday that he has enough of those qualities to not let his team down.
Or, as Allan Donald, said: “When the chips were down, Sachin Tendulkar came to the party. I was reminded of that today.”
Kohli spoke as he batted, well within himself: “They were big shoes to fill, but I had a plan and it’s always nice when you plan something and it comes together.”
He took guard with India threatening to live up to their reputation to crash and burn against fast bowling.
Both of their openers, Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan, had been unconvincing against SA’s quicks and were duly removed. India were 24/2.
Kohli blocked, hit to fielders for no run, left or avoided the first eight balls he faced. The ninth, a nasty, brutish, short delivery from Jacques Kallis, he hooked off his visor for four.
When, just more than an hour before stumps, he lowered himself onto a knee to swat Kallis through the covers and lifted a catch to JP Duminy, he dropped his bat, froze for a long moment and looked like a man who had failed.
“If you don’t play your strokes you will never make runs,” Kohli said.
Between those extremes, Kohli was a picture of patience and purpose – although he will have to take the blame for Cheteshwar Pujara’s run out, which was the closest the centurion came to offering a chance.
Kohli worked a delivery from Imran Tahir towards mid-wicket and set off on a single, only to change his mind as Tahir swooped, fielded and threw.
Hashim Amla broke the stumps well before the scrambling Pujara made it back to safety. That put paid to a stand that looked set for bigger things than the 89 runs it realised.
Kohli begin to make amends in a partnership of 38 with Rohit Sharma, and another of 68 with the all but non-playing No 6, Ajinkya Rahane, who faced 105 balls for his 43 not out.
With him in an unbroken stand of 36 was MS Dhoni, who is captaining India for a record 50th time.
SA will ask themselves what they could have done differently. They could have made the batsmen play more but the real answer is tied up in Kohli’s innings, a black hole into which pressure disappeared, never to be seen again.
Morne Morkel was all but unplayable in a first spell in which he conceded one run in five overs, had a catch dropped and took Vijay’s wicket. The spinners were less effective.
Kohli steps up to the plate
To Kohli has fallen the mission impossible of succeeding Tendulkar at No 4 in India’s batting line-up. How to replace a retired god? Score a century. And not just any century – score one that matters.
Kohli’s career-best 119, hammered out on an unforgiving anvil of a pitch for four-and-a-half hours in which he faced 181 balls and hit 18 fours, was exactly that. It was also the key to India reaching 255/5 at stumps.
No-one has Tendulkar’s temperament, experience or sense of responsibility, and few have his talent and skill.
But Kohli, playing in his 21st test, showed yesterday that he has enough of those qualities to not let his team down.
Or, as Allan Donald, said: “When the chips were down, Sachin Tendulkar came to the party. I was reminded of that today.”
Kohli spoke as he batted, well within himself: “They were big shoes to fill, but I had a plan and it’s always nice when you plan something and it comes together.”
He took guard with India threatening to live up to their reputation to crash and burn against fast bowling.
Both of their openers, Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan, had been unconvincing against SA’s quicks and were duly removed. India were 24/2.
Kohli blocked, hit to fielders for no run, left or avoided the first eight balls he faced. The ninth, a nasty, brutish, short delivery from Jacques Kallis, he hooked off his visor for four.
When, just more than an hour before stumps, he lowered himself onto a knee to swat Kallis through the covers and lifted a catch to JP Duminy, he dropped his bat, froze for a long moment and looked like a man who had failed.
“If you don’t play your strokes you will never make runs,” Kohli said.
Between those extremes, Kohli was a picture of patience and purpose – although he will have to take the blame for Cheteshwar Pujara’s run out, which was the closest the centurion came to offering a chance.
Kohli worked a delivery from Imran Tahir towards mid-wicket and set off on a single, only to change his mind as Tahir swooped, fielded and threw.
Hashim Amla broke the stumps well before the scrambling Pujara made it back to safety. That put paid to a stand that looked set for bigger things than the 89 runs it realised.
Kohli begin to make amends in a partnership of 38 with Rohit Sharma, and another of 68 with the all but non-playing No 6, Ajinkya Rahane, who faced 105 balls for his 43 not out.
With him in an unbroken stand of 36 was MS Dhoni, who is captaining India for a record 50th time.
SA will ask themselves what they could have done differently. They could have made the batsmen play more but the real answer is tied up in Kohli’s innings, a black hole into which pressure disappeared, never to be seen again.
Morne Morkel was all but unplayable in a first spell in which he conceded one run in five overs, had a catch dropped and took Vijay’s wicket. The spinners were less effective.
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