Virat Kohli makes history in Dubai with record-breaking 14,000 runs and 51st ODI century as India defeats Pakistan.
These are nights made for Virat Kohli. The gaze of the cricketing world fixed on Dubai, the most feverish cricketing rivalry playing out in front of packed stands, live streams buffering to manage the viewership load, a million hands folded in prayer, hearts beating in wild anxiety — the myth and legend of Kohli comes alive and branches out into an altogether different world. It’s on nights like these that Kohli leaves his stamp on mind and memories, blurring allegiances and differences.
In the end, it was a routine cruise for India, overhauling the 244-run target Pakistan had set in 42.3 overs with six wickets in hand and effectively progressing to the knockouts. There were co-architects in this victory, most notably Kuldeep yadav and Hardik pandeya. But only Kolhi, as it is on nights when he hits the high gears of batting, mattered.
Anticipation brimmed much before the match started. For a 1 pm start on what was Dubai’s warmest day of the season, several thousand fans had begun to queue up as early as 10 am. On the 2-km stretch to the stadium, where the blue jerseys clearly outnumbered the green, it was hard to spot one without “Virat” or “Kohli” on the back. The most famous No. 18 in the game. From the moment he stepped out in training gear half an hour before the toss – with the team bus getting stuck in the traffic – mobile phones tracked every moment of his. And he filled their hearts as well as the stands with euphoria.
The modern-day batting great, arguably the greatest in this 50-over format, scripted his 51st hundred and crossed 14,000 runs in ODIs. But numbers are only embellishments in celebrating a glorious hundred, filled with strokes that matched the grandness of the night. Fittingly, he completed his century off the last ball of the game, gliding down the track and clubbing Khushdil Shah over extra cover for a four in what ended up as the last ball of the game
