Kohli the spark that ignites India
Virat Kohli punched his gloved hands hard and let out a shriek. The India captain had just hit Hasan Ali for a six over long-on. It was his first hit over the boundary. The shot, which came three overs before India's innings ended, brought Kohli his half-century. Kohli, however, was in no mood to celebrate.
Yuvraj Singh walked up and put an arm around Kohli's helmet, like an elder brother. Almost hugging him, Yuvraj tapped Kohli's shoulder and asked him not to get too bothered. Kohli hit his pads hard with his bat. He was releasing his pent-up frustration. It was an expression of how things had nearly gone awry for India in the middle overs.
Both Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma took off smoothly but left the safety belt on a little longer than they should have. Such caution is the basis of the Dhawan-Rohit partnership. It looks good when at least one of them converts the start into a big score. Today fell for half centuries.
Dhawan was more free-flowing of the two, but he made a mistake while trying to hit a full toss over deep midwicket. The onus was now on Rohit to carry forward the momentum. This was Rohit's first match for India since returning from a thigh injury he picked up in October. Having survived the opening spell of Mohammad Amir, who troubled him with away-going deliveries, Rohit steadily hit his straps. He passed fifty with a six over deep midwicket off legspinner Shadab Khan.
But the grim, overcast conditions and the on-and-off drizzle that disrupted play annoyed the Indians. The two rain breaks also slowed the outfield. Under normal circumstances, Rohit and Kohli may have played with more freedom. Here, they had to check their drives.
This phase coincided with the Pakistan bowlers, especially Amir and Hasan, keeping things tight. Between overs 22 and 35, India could manage just three boundaries and 55 runs. Rohit did not hit any.
On 74, Rohit played a casual drive away from his body against a slower delivery from Hasan. He was lucky to get away with it because the ball died well before the fielder at mid-off could charge in. He also struggled with his running between the wickets and a mix-up with Kohli eventually cost him his wicket.
Until then, India had played old-school cricket: keeping wickets in hands, scoring at a steady pace, and waiting for the end to accelerate. Although he was sluggish by his own standards, Kohli realised the need to stay till the finish. He had to take risks, but calculated ones.
The presence of Yuvraj gave him a second wind. Yuvraj had sized up the situation. The first ball he faced was a 92mph bouncer from Wahab Riaz, and Yuvraj ducked under it nicely. He got his eye in quickly and took charge. His electric half-century transformed the flow of play. It also allowed Kohli to relax a little and have a laugh at the other end.
Immediately after he got to 50, Kohli dug out an off-stump yorker to the third-man boundary. It was a no-ball. Having read the free-hit delivery quickly, Kohli played one of his favourite strokes: the bat came down swiftly and the early pick-up ensured the flick sent the ball flying to the midwicket boundary. His confidence was soaring and Wahab was left standing mid-pitch with his hands on his hips.
With eight balls to go, Hasan bowled a yorker. The big expanse behind cover was not lost on Kohli and he fluently punched the ball for four. Hasan responded with a near-perfect yorker on off stump. Kohli stood his ground and with a straight bat and straight elbow, hit a powerful drive that flew high over the cover boundary for another six.
It was a stunning stroke to play in any form of cricket; Kohli's high elbow, his elegant follow through and balance were the standout features of the shot. Hasan dug in another yorker. Kohli played it out before tapping his bat to acknowledge the bowler's efforts.
On the eve of this match, Kohli was asked how he managed to maintain his intensity despite performing the high-pressure roles of leading India and being a match-winner.
"It's just that captaincy gives you much more responsibility on the field," Kohli had said. "And handling your players on and off the field is something that captaincy requires. It's a big skill to have. And that's something that I'm focusing on more rather than putting myself under pressure. I'm just trying to make sure that all the guys are in a good mindset and they're feeling confident about their skills."
At different times on Sunday, Kohli patted his batting partners - Rohit, Yuvraj and Hardik Pandya - and encouraged them to express themselves. He did not show emotions when the India started sedately, and did not show show distress when Kedar Jadhav misfielded and then dropped a catch.
As he gains experience as a leader, Kohli is beginning to understand that he does not need to be at the forefront of everything. He understands that if he can be the spark that ignites India's intensity, his job is done.