KOHLI THE MOSES

Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 82 at the MCG gained a permanence that eludes even most centuries of the gifted. Fans from both India and Pakistan were awestruck as Kohli became Moses parting the seas.

TA long journey begins he North-east monsoon tiptoes into the Coromandel Coast through the odd drizzle while the taxi cruises into the Chennai International Airport on a Thursday night (October 20). But this journey is about embracing the warmth of cricket in the southern hemisphere where summer is about to start. Australia beckons as the ICC Twenty20 World Cup moves to the land of tough sport, blunt speech and leaping kangaroos.

At the immigration counter, passport is checked, the surname hints at roots from Kerala and the officer briefly switches to Malayalam. And then it is time to pause and wait for the flight to Bangkok. And as a trip commences largely in the midst of tourists keen to savour the oriental charms of Thailand besides a few heading beyond to Australia, it is time to grab some shut-eye. The transfer at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport is smooth and the nomenclature hints at ancient ties between India and Siam, as Thailand was once known.

The connecting flight to Melbourne has denizens from both India and Pakistan. Journalists, broadcast crew, fans and families are all part of the mix and sporadic conversations inevitably veer towards the big match – India against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday.

The touch-down at Melbourne on Friday night (October 21) is followed by a quick dash to pick fermented extracts sourced from Cuban sugarcanes. Once that organic exercise is done, it is time to stand in a long queue for immigration. There is a dash of Punjabi in the air as people from either side of India’s western border call back home to speak about the game ahead.

The immigration officer asks for the purpose of visit, the T20 World Cup is mentioned and the next salvo is immediate: “You have mentioned the MCG as your local address?” The sheepish reply is that there is work at the MCG and as for stay, it is with fellow journalists from India. An address is whispered, the officer grins and the tour is on.

The G

Bleary-eyed December mornings watching cricket from Down Under flits across the mind’s eye as an Uber ferries a few sports correspondents to MCG on Saturday (October 22). The driver talks about races and then dives into cricket while the city seems to be nursing a weekend hangover. Or may be it is the weather, nippy when summer is supposed to set in and people are either huddled under blankets or grabbing a steaming cup of coffee while the fitness-conscious hit the parks.

If it is all about the slow life in an urban space, the MCG offers a contrast as decibel levels rise thanks to excited Indian and Pakistani fans. The nets draw in crowds while the young shriek their heroes’ names and try and take pictures for Instagram stories. Drums are thumped, a conch is blown and you could be anywhere in India on a match’s eve and a line from Sania Mirza pops up: “There is always support around the world because we are so many of us.”

Caressed by history and studded with statues of iconic legends including Shane Warne, the MCG has an aura that defies words. Soon it is time to dive into the prematch build-up as rival skippers Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam take turns to address the media. The G as the MCG is popularly known stirs to sub-continental strains of Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi besides a smattering of Tamil and Bengali. The fans cannot restrain themselves and there is banter while expectations soar.

Clash of the Titans

Super Sunday (October 23) at the MCG dawns with gloomy skies and while rains are forecast, fans spilling over from the rest of Australia and the world at large implore their respective gods to send across sunshine. In a practical bid to beat the crowd, correspondents get to the ground four hours before the contest.

Seats are secured, wifi is checked and logged in, the basic spadework is done and then some caffeine is had while bonhomie reigns between scribes on either side of the Radcliffe Line. Jokes are cracked while ICC officials ensure that the cuisine on offer is palatable to all without offending sensibilities.

There is something incredible about listening to the national anthem in a faraway land and as the teams assemble, even the most cynical among the tribe of reporters stand in respect and a few sing along. Out on the field, Pakistan loses early wickets, recovers and finally musters 159 for eight. And from the sidelines, commentators Ravi Shastri and K. Srikkanth watch, there is a blast from the past as the two as openers had countered the likes of Imran Khan while India defeated Pakistan in the World Championship of Cricket final at the same venue in 1985.

If the senior trio had weathered the storm 37 years ago, there was no such assurance cutting back to the present as Rohit and K. L. Rahul returned to the hut. India lost two more wickets and Melbourne almost seemed like a mirror image of Sharjah in the 1980s when Pakistan reigned supreme, riding high on Javed Miandad’s lastball six and its lingering after-effects. Just as a forgettable night seemed imminent for the Indians, Virat Kohli offered a monk’s serenity, an athlete’s frenetic running and an experienced professional’s halo.

Still, India was way behind the chase even if Kohli and Hardik Pandya strung a century-plus partnership. Kohli, wending his way back to form, believed that miracles were possible. Great players believe that destiny can be controlled on the field and what followed was a magical innings. Spinners were countered, pacers were hoisted into the skies and Kohli became Moses parting the seas.

A nervy last over was handled and a triumph was secured and Kohli’s unbeaten 82 gained a permanence that eludes even most centuries of the gifted. A knock for the ages, a match to savour, the fans couldn’t have asked for more and the G erupted. It was electric and while reporters wondered what just happened, the practical need of filing a copy meant that their sense of wonder had to be held back while fingers flew over harried keyboards.

Perhaps the most heartening thing to see on a feverish Sunday was a placard held by a Pakistani fan: “Kohli please score a century in Pakistan, I am your big fan.” Sport like art can blur boundaries too.

AFP A unifying force: Fans at the MCG at the T20 World Cup joust between India and Pakistan.

AP The gladiator: An India-v-pakistan match can turn ordinary mortals into heroes. In front of a 90,000-strong crowd in Melbourne, Arshdeep Singh made decisive breakthroughs to give his team the advantage early. He got rid of both the big players — Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan — and the middle order had to dig deep to get Pakistan to a strong total.

AP Rescue act: Shan Masood scored a half-century (52 not out, 42b) and steadied the ship along with Itikhar Ahmed. The two batters added 76 runs for the third wicket.

AFP Cometh the hour, cometh the man: Virat Kohli (left) played one of his best knocks to seal a miraculous victory off the final ball for India.

AP Adrenaline rush: Haris Rauf (centre) reacts after getting rid of Suryakumar Yadav. At 26 for three in the sixth over, India had its back to the wall.

GETTY IMAGES AFP Crafty spell: Sam Curran celebrates a dismissal in Perth during his career-best spell of five for 10. The England seamer broke the back of Afghanistan’s batting line-up as the 2010 champion picked up its first win in the 2022 T20 World Cup. Neck and crop: Mitchell Starc is bowled by Trent Boult during the trans-tasman clash between Australia and New Zealand in Sydney. The home team suffered an 89-run defeat in what was an expert dismantling job by the Kiwis. Devon Conway led the way with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 92, while Tim Southee, Mitchell Santner and Trent Boult took eight wickets between them. It was Australia’s heaviest defeat in T20IS against New Zealand.

AFP The winning habit: Kusal Mendis hits a six against Ireland during his unbeaten innings of 68. Sri Lanka won its third match in a row, this time by nine wickets.

AFP AFP Stumble: The T20 World Cup was off to an exciting start at Kardinia Park in Geelong as Asia Cup champion Sri Lanka fell to a defeat in the very first match. And it wasn’t a narrow defeat, either, Namibia winning by a whopping 55 runs. Here, No. 9 Pramod Madushan is run out for 0. Sri Lanka was bowled out for 108, chasing 164. Making the difference with the ball: Bas de Leede bowls during the Group A contest between UAE and Netherlands. His spell of three for 19 in three overs made the difference between the two sides in the end, Netherlands winning by three wickets in a low-scoring affair.

AFP Bad day in the office: West Indies’ Akeal Hossein kicks the turf after being dismissed during the Group B contest against Scotland in Bellerive Oval, Hobart. Nothing went right for the two-time world champion. The bowlers allowed Scotland to post 160 on the board, and none of the batters stuck around for long enough to give their team a chance in the run chase.

AFP Match-winning knock: Zimbabwe batter Sikandar Raza plays a slog-sweep en route to 82 (48b) against Ireland. Zimbabwe won by 31 runs, Ireland failing to chase down the daunting target of 175. Fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani took three for 23.

AFP Body blow: Namibia’s Jan Nicol Loftie-eaton is dismissed by Netherland’s Paul van Meekeren for a duck at Kardinia Park. Namibia huffed and puffed its way to 121 for six in the 20 overs. Netherlands chased down the target with three balls to spare.

AFP Helping hand: It was a nip-and-tuck affair between two neighbouring countries. Scotland put up a good fight but Ireland just managed to get its nose ahead at the end, Curtis Campher playing a crucial innings of 72 (unbeaten, 32b).

AFP Let the ball do the talking: Sri Lanka fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera gestures after dismissing UAE’S Muhammad Waseem. It was a thorough trouncing by Sri Lanka as Pathum Nissanka (74, 60b), Chameera (three for 15) and Wanindu Hasaranga (three for eight) combined to consign UAE to a 79-run defeat.

AFP Bouncing back: Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph celebrates after dismissing Zimbabwe’s Luke Jongwe. Joseph took four for 16 in his four overs as West Indies won by 31 runs. Johnson Charles (45, 36b), Rovman Powell (28, 21b), and Akeal Hossein (23 not out, 18b) were the chief contributors with the bat.

AFP Another nail in the coffin: Tim Pringle is run out during the Netherlands’ run chase against Sri Lanka. It was the sixth wicket to fall with 105 on the board as the Netherlands’ innings continued to deteriorate in the business end of the contest. Opener Max O’dowd (71 not out, 53b) kept his team in the hunt but couldn’t single handedly take it across the line. Kusal Mendis (79, 44b) and Wanindu Hasaranga (three for 28) were the architects of the win for Sri Lanka.

AFP Raw emotions: Ryan Burl lets out a roar after Zimbabwe beat Scotland in the final match of the first round. The five-wicket win allowed Zimbabwe to book its spot in the Super 12s. Sikandar Raza was the standout performer with the bat once again, scoring 40 off 23 deliveries.

AFP Getting rid of the big fish: UAE’S Alishan Sharafu (left) and Ahmed Raza celebrate the wicket of Namibia’s David Wiese at Kardinia Park. Wiese had revived Namibia’s innings during the run chase of 149 but his dismissal was effectively the death blow to Namibia’s hopes of making it to the next round. UAE won by seven runs.

AFP David vs Goliath: Leg-spinner Gareth Delaney took three for 16 in four overs to hurt West Indies during its final first-round match. Paul Stirling (66 not out, 48b), Andrew Balbirnie (37, 23b) and Lorcan Tucker (45 not out, 35b) then made light work of the chase of 147. Ireland was in the next round and West Indies was out.