THE UNSELFISH CAPTAIN

 

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

Venue- Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune [October 10-13, 2019].

In the autumn of 2019, the South African cricket team toured India to play 3 T20 Internationals and 3 Test Matches. The T20 Series ended 1-1, whereas the hosts hammered the visitors in the first test at Vishakhapatnam. As a result, it was a do-or-die game for the Proteas. In a must-win game it was the Indian captain, Virat Kohli, who won the toss and decided to bat first. 

The Indians lost Rohit Sharma cheaply; however, the duo of Mayank Agarwal and Cheteshwar Pujara brought us back into the game. Mayank Aggarwal scored a gritty 108, whereas Pujara managed to score 58 runs. However, the man who stole the show was our captain. King Kohli, who was at the peak of his powers, amassed a massive 254* and broke the spine of the South African bowling attack. First, he stitched a partnership with Rahane, which was then followed by Jadeja. Moreover, it was not just about boundaries and sixes but also about quick running between the wickets. The Proteas looked helpless as the Indians continued piling up runs. It was peak test match batting. 

Eventually the hosts declared a massive total of 601/5. However, the thing which grabbed the headlines was the unselfishness of Captain Courageous Virat Kohli. Kohli at that time was batting on 254* and was very much in range to get a triple hundred. However, he chose the team over his milestones and decided to declare. 

The decision to declare at that point turned out to be a masterstroke, as quick wickets before the stumps broke the morale of the Proteas, who then failed to recover from the loss and ended up losing the game by an innings and 137 runs.

Captain Kohli was awarded the Man of the Match award as Indians won another test series at home. However, this game will always be remembered for the unselfish act of our great captain. The man who gave everything to test cricket and for whom the team mattered more than the personal milestones. 

To watch that monumental innings of Virat Kohli, Click Here.