KING KOHLI TO RESCUE

 

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

Venue – Centurion Park, Centurion [December 26-29, 2023].

November 26, 2025, will go down as the darkest day for Indian cricket. The reason being we suffered yet another whitewash at home, this time at the hands of the South Africans. However, unlike last year, wherein we gave a strong fight against the Kiwis, this time we just crumbled before the Proteas. 408 runs defeat is a huge margin, and this is definitely going to haunt Indian cricket for long. However, the most unfortunate part was that none of our batsmen were able to score big in a condition wherein the South African batsmen piled up a heap of runs.

But this was not always the case. In the good old days, our batsmen not only scored runs at home but also abroad, and that too in the toughest of conditions. The man who led the pack was none other than King Kohli, who established himself as the backbone of Indian batting. Though Virat Kohli has scored 82 international hundreds, such is his class that even his fifties are remembered by fans all over the world.

One such half-century of his came in Centurion in December 2023, wherein he scored a quickfire 76 off 82 balls amidst seaming conditions. Interestingly, Kohli not just defended the unplayable deliveries but also played his shots. Moreover, the shots he played were truly spectacular. It was a pure masterclass from King Kohli, who looked in his vintage touch.

Unfortunately, Team India in that very innings were bowled out for 131 runs and lost the game by an innings and 32 runs. Interestingly if we remove the innings of Kohli, we will find that the entire team scored just 55 runs. So Kohli rightly saved us from the humiliation of getting bowled out under 100. Yes. We lost the game, but the innings is still cherished by every cricket fan. Afterall, it was one of the finest knocks played under pressure.

Moreover, Kohli continued his form in the next test as well, where he played another gritty knock. Eventually Kohli ended the series as India's highest run getter with a total of 172 runs in 4 innings at an average of 44. Mind you, South Africa is a place which is considered the toughest place to bat, and in that very condition, Kohli averages 49.50. Such has been the greatness of King Kohli.

To be honest, it is going to be tough to find a replacement for Virat Kohli, but we can only hope that the team will rise from the depths of despair. We need to have players who can keep themselves calm in the toughest of situations.

To watch the innings of Virat Kohli, Click Here.