Virat Kohli unfazed by Tendulkar chase but Pakistan ready to gift him runs

ISLAMABAD: The Dubai International Cricket Stadium saw Virat Kohli’s most recent masterpiece against his favourite bowling attack on Sunday night. The surface was reportedly challenging, but the guy who rules chases in his fantasies managed to control it with remarkable ease. The 36-year-old added another dazzling jewel to his already extensive collection of November 2023, during the World Cup semifinal match against New Zealand in Mumbai, about a year and a half after he celebrated his 50th century.

Virat Kohli will play his next 300th One-Day International while representing India in the Champions Trophy. With 14,085 runs at an average of 58.20, an unparalleled 51 centuries, and a strike-rate of 93.41, he has already amassed an incredible amount of effort.
He has only scored 5.5% of his ODI runs against Pakistan. But they’ve been such runs! How they have affected things!

The ease with which he picked up the runs made his undefeated 100 stand out. Only because of the pitch and a thick outfield that didn’t reward strokes could this century be a free-flowing, boundary-filled affair. However, the strokes were of the characteristic Kohli radiance, with good footing and hand dexterity. There were a few screaming pulls that were due as much to knowledge and cunning as the control with which he played a high-risk shot, as well as the flowing off- and cover-drives that characterize Kohli at his best, according to a commentary in Hindustan Times.

Even with his recent struggles, Kohli is still a formidable player with 82 international hundreds to his name. The renowned Sachin Tendulkar is quite a ways away, and it may seem impossible to catch the famous Mumbaikar eighteen hundred miles distant. Regardless, Tendulkar is not being pursued by Kohli. He is pursuing himself—when he isn’t pursuing objectives, that is—or the version of himself that ruled cricket for five years but has, predictably and logically, partially disappeared with time.

You may be forgiven for thinking that time has stopped when you pit Kohli against Pakistan. Or, more accurately, that Kohli has stopped time.

In 17 ODIs, Kohli averages 59.84 and has a strike-rate of 98.85 against India’s oldest opponents, both of which are higher than his career averages. However, if you look at his winning statistics, the outlines of brilliance become more distinct and prominent. Kohli has scored 742 runs in 11 ODI victories over Pakistan, including a peak of 183 in his four hundreds. He has an incredible strike-rate of 102.77 (in this format) and an average of 106.

Is it any surprise that he is admired in Pakistan? That they’ve had enough of him? Because rather of watching him go about his job with unwavering determination that scarcely affects his flare and authority, they would rather to grant him X number of runs as long as he doesn’t come out to bat.
When playing Pakistan, Kohli is more than simply an ODI monster. A closer look at his T20I numbers paints an even clearer image of a full-fledged limited-overs hitter. 11 Twenty20 matches, 492 runs, 70.28 average, and 123.92 strike rate. Of those, eight have generated 366 runs at 91.50, with a strike-rate of 124.91, leading to victory.

The class, the aesthetics, the command and control, the artistry, and the pure mastery of excellent pace assaults that have been reduced to blubbering wrecks are all understated by these icy, hard numbers. Additionally, they fail to consider the significance of these knocks, the pressure they have been subjected to, and the influence Kohli’s presence has had on Pakistani leaders, bowlers, fielders, and spectators in addition to his own teammates. You understand, don’t you?

It’s not like Kohli is more hostile against Pakistan than the rest of us. Just as it won’t be in the DNA of any proudly successful athlete worthy of their name, that isn’t in his. He doesn’t go above and beyond to pursue victory against Pakistan by himself; if there were a magic recipe, wouldn’t he use it daily? However, he utilizes the assurance that comes with prior accomplishments, a sense of security and acceptance, and an air of near invincibility to fuel his goals.

During Sunday’s hundred, someone said that this was one of the biggest matches and that Kohli has always been a “big-match player.” Kohli would respond that every Test match played in Australia during the winter was crucial and that, save from one innings, he fell short. His struggles beyond the off-stump in Australia, however, have been ignored for the time being. An epic versus Pakistan accomplishes that, and Kohli has a number of them.