India vs England: Virat Kohli puts champagne on ice

For the passionate, always on-the-boil Kohli to do it, it stresses yet again how neatly he has compartmentalised his persona: rational adult while batting, emotions unchecked while leading on the field. Before zooming into the micro affair, zoom out for the big picture: two soul-stirring hundreds, a 97, and one 51. England was his last frontier, especially after the way the last tour went pear-shaped. Now, he is stamping his name on the honours boards across English grounds with a vengeance. Now, the micro level. England threw their set-piece very early in the day. A very straight short midwicket, almost at wide short-mid on, and there was the regular mid-on of course. It was the ego they were after. The English plan was simple: Every now and then, hurl the ball full and on middle, let’s see whether you want to snap your wrists the Indian way.

Plans derail

The first time Woakes pinged that line, Kohli turned it to straight midwicket. He then practised the wrist-snap more. Two balls later, he did it and the ball plummeted to the right of that midwicket fielder. He had already sussed out that there wasn’t any wild swing that was going to put him in jeopardy, and whipped away without much fuss. England withdrew that plan. Their next plan was better. Time and again, Kohli was planting his left leg a touch too across and a plausible lbw chance floated in the air. That Ben Stokes had got him lbw during a tense chase at Edgbaston would have figured in this tactic. James Anderson went for the nip-backer now and then, after a series of away-curlers, and induced couple of close-run affairs. But either the point of impact was just outside off as Kohli would drag his leg well across, much like Ricky Ponting used to do to the perennial annoyance of bowlers or the ball would bounce just an inch or two more than the bowlers anticipated.

Tinkering with technique

Kohli has done something else with his stance. He has opened up and takes two short steps: first the right leg moves slightly to its right in a straight line, and the left leg starts coming across. It helps him in not planting that front too much across; the lbw threat is still present but it’s not precarious. The front leg doesn’t come across as much. These days, there happens to be no fuss, a sameness to Virat’s batting routine. The briskness in his body language is ever present even when he is just dawdling to the leg side after a ball. He would rip out the Velcro of his right glove and re-attach it. His right thumb then squeezes through the grill for some face-fiddling. Then comes the now-familiar twiddling of the bat. The feet then take their position in the open stance. The bat is tapped and then his eyes dart across at the bowler running in. A look at the end-of-the-day pile-up would make it seem as if the Indians cantered but the patience, temperament and skill they showed in the first hour and half was remarkable. The plans to Kohli were good and the lines to Pujara were terrific, but both pulled down the shutters. Slowly, after 90 minutes or so, the English fight evaporated out of the arena. Their spirits were blunted and the Indian run-loot began.

Poor Anderson. He has bowled his heart out but is yet to take out Kohli this series. He produced a full curving delivery outside off and induced Kohli to edge a drive on 93 but Keaton Jennings didn’t even get a hand to it. Anderson buried his face into his palms, and Root went across for a consoling pat on Jennings. It seemed as if it was Anderson who needed it. Next ball, he roused himself to produce another edge but it didn’t carry to Cook at first slip. All over. Another Kohli hundred and for the first time this series, he might get to encash a Test win out of it.