Asia Cup: Kohli showed what it is to bat like a champion
Each sport has its share of riveting rivalries. And in cricket, whatever be the format, India versus Pakistan at any venue in the world brings out the best from both sides.
At the packed stadium in Mirpur, Bangladesh, fans from the subcontinent had war paint smeared on their faces. The expressions were varied as the audience went through a whole gamut of emotions during the course of the intense contest in the Asia Cup, before Young Turk Virat Kohli showed what it is to bat like a champion and seal a win for Team India.
India versus Pakistan brings the best out of the combatants. And that holds true in any sporting field with Saturday being no exception. When the Indian bowlers made the Pakistani batsmen look pathetic in the first part of the contest with Hardik Pandya and company firing out the opposition for 83, one thought India would win at a canter.
But then, as Ravi Shastri has said so often in the past when he has held the mike as a commentator, cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties. This was a total which should have been overhauled with minimum fuss.
Perhaps, that's what the thinking was in the Indian dressing room during the break before they came out to bat. Pakistan was anxious right through the match. When they batted, the tension was palpable on their faces and the spate of run-outs was inexplicable.
Yet, when they came out to bowl, Mohammed Amir, back after serving a five-year ban for misdemeanour, was firing on all cylinders.
The lithe left-arm fast bowler churned out intense stuff. Pace, line and length, bounce, and movement, he seemed to have everything ready for the Indian batsmen as he grabbed three wickets in a mesmerising opening spell.
It was as if the Indian batsmen had no clue how to bat on a pitch where there was something for fast bowlers and spinners. Quite often, one tends to feel that the T20 format is all about slam-bang batting, where there is no space for batsmen to build an innings and then take control.
That is exactly what man of the match Kohli did as he played an innings which will be remembered for long. The Indian vice-captain in the shorter formats did face a hard time negotiating Amir and the other left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Irfan early on.
As one who has matured over the years and played great innings in ODIs, Kohli played a gem of an innings. He knew he had to stay at the crease and guide India home as the top order had crumbled against the hostile pace bowling.
Where Kohli showed a different approach and character in his score of 49 runs was playing more in a Test fashion.
In cricket, when a batsman is playing in the "V", it means, he is playing straight and scoring. Each of his seven boundaries defined the grammar of his batting as he waited to score in style. This was, indeed, quite different from the patent T20 style of batting where the batsmen play risky shots, which also looks ungainly at times.
Such maturity from Kohli was definitely a pleasure for the purists as watching T20 cricket means you have to compromise on shots which belong to the copybook.
To be sure, the rivalry between India and Pakistan is something which will be talked about again. Given the strained relations between the two neighbouring countries, cricket only takes place when the two teams are competing in an ICC event, be it in the ODI format or T20.
Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, who spoke to Mail Today on Saturday, was emphatic when he said these two teams must play each other often as it means so much to the fans.
After the Asia Cup, Pakistan will be travelling to India for the ICC World T20 and the league match in Dharamsala on March 19 is already being hyped up. The pressure in each contest is so high, a player can only excel if he has ice cool nerves.
Whether you are a batsman or a bowler, to perform in an Indian versus Pakistan match is special. And for the spectators, be it the lucky ones present at the arena or those glued to TV sets, there can be nothing more exciting.
In the end, one lot of fans is left disappointed as losing to the arch rivals means so much. Yet, if you are going to ask them a day later if they again want to watch the same two teams compete - India versus Pakistan - the answer has to be a yes.
(Courtesy of Mail Today.)