There is no other fixture like it in the world of cricket. Even four hours before kickoff, the atmosphere around the MCG was enchantingly boisterous and happy, with streams of fans flooding in from Melbourne’s city center and various other parts of the world.
The atmosphere at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was different from the start of the game on Sunday. Something beyond explanation. People sang the national anthem at the top of their lungs, filled with pride.
When the floodlights were turned off for a few minutes during the innings break and the entire crowd turned on their cell phone lights, the MCG looked gorgeous at night, but there was something that stole the beauty, and rightly so.
When KL Rahul was dismissed, Virat Kohli came to the crease at 7/1. He was present as Rohit Sharma snuck away, bringing back memories of last year’s tragic first-up loss to Pakistan.
He was also present as India fell to 4-31 watching everything almost go haywire until he decided to turn the tables over.
After India had fallen to 4-31, Kohli led India to the most incredible victory and one of the greatest T20 World Cup results ever.
With India needing 160 runs to win, Kohli and Hardik Pandya put on a 113-run stand that propelled India from nowhere to a four-wicket win.
Despite needing 12 runs per over for the final 10 overs and 16 runs per over for the final three, Kohli found the boundaries (six 4’s, four 6’s) at all the appropriate times to propel his side to victory in an instant classic.
India required 28 runs from the final eight deliveries and Haris Rauf still had two deliveries to finish his spell.
Despite appearing to lose his balance in the shot, Kohli delivered an incredible straight six with the first, belting a back-of-the-length slower ball over long-on.
Thousands of them cheering and thousands taking a bow in the exhilarating atmosphere of the ‘Big G’ revealed just one tale – Virat Kohli’s rise to the status of cricketing demigod.
He backed that with a flipped six over backward square leg, which elicited a loud roar from the packed stadium as they realized they were experiencing something exceptional.
He only scored 15 runs in his first 24 balls before exploding in the second half of his inning, smashing 67 runs in his final 29 balls.
When Ashwin smashed the winning runs, the champion bowed down to the ground and brought the stadium to its feet.
Kohli played an innings to remember, smashing 82 off 53 balls and combining 113 for the fifth wicket with Hardik Pandya, and India won by four wickets, but these are just stats.
This was a remarkable game and an incredible night, as much about the noise that swirled around this gigantic arena and the participation of all 90,293 spectators in a recurring role.
As an emotional Kohli greeted his startled teammates, the MCG exploded in wild cheers, with innumerable Indian flags floating over a sea of blue.
Chants of “Kohli…Kohli” rang out around the legendary venue as the 33-year-old walked off the field after what was perhaps his best performance in international T20I cricket.
“It’s not a great feeling to wake up knowing that you won’t be able to score runs… I felt I was the loneliest guy in the world,” Virat Kohli said on a podcast with English commentator Mark Nicholas in February 2022.
Then he goes on to play a match in which he picks up the gloves, walks down to the middle, and exorcises his inner demon. He screams and sobs as his team conquers. Those tears may hold all the days of mental burden and cruel voices in his head that tell you every day, ‘your best days are now over.’
He emerges as champion on the canvas of the cricket field. The struggles, pain and beauty are what make the sport humane.
Not a single person left the stadium amid knowing it would be the last train to go back home. A huge number of cricket fans had given up on Kohli. But he came back with renewed gusto during the Asia Cup, and today’s knock serves as a gentle reminder that form is fleeting and class is eternal.
“From the situation we were in, to come out with victory it has to be not just his best knock, but one of India’s best knocks,” Rohit said.
None of them could have been more remarkable.
18prajakta 