In the summer of 1998, Sachin Tendulkar couldn’t put a foot wrong. After a memorable Test series win against Australia at home, he was unstoppable in Sharjah in the Coca-Cola Cup, which Indian cricket fans know better as “Operation Desert Storm”. Tendulkar, who turned 25 that April, was already India’s best batsman, and most worshipped sportsman. Meanwhile in Delhi, a boy named Virat Kohli, all of nine, was awestruck by what he saw.
“After seeing those knocks I got inspired to do something like that for India by winning games single-handedly. I used to dream of doing something like that for the country,” Kohli said in an interview many years later. In the World Twenty20 recently, he almost got India to the final on his own, with little support from his teammates, much like Tendulkar in the 1990s.
On Wednesday, Kohli scored a record fourth century of the 2016 Indian Premier League season, infusing life into the Royal Challengers Bangalore's campaign. To hit 113 in just 50 balls takes a special effort, but to get there despite having seven stitches in your hand takes Kohli-like commitment. He made it to the front page of most newspapers and rightly so.
To rest or not to rest?
His name also found a mention in the news briefs section of the sports pages recently – "Virat Kohli likely to be rested for India’s tour of Zimbabwe". The report by the Press Trust of India showed how things in India are in sharp contrast to what we have been hearing about the Australians in the IPL.
A host of Aussies have left their franchisees high and dry midway through the tournament, citing niggles and minor injuries in order to save themselves for the upcoming West Indies tour. Cricket Australia, the country's board, has been involved all through, and been typically categorical and honest.
The Australian players, who represent the No. 1 Test and ODI team on the ICC rankings right now, have clearly chosen country over club. And while picking one over the other remains a personal decision driven by obvious commercial interests, it will be deeply disappointing if Kohli chooses to skip the Zimbabwe series.
To be fair, the report said Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma are also likely to be “rested”. But Kohli, like the earnest class topper, has clearly set expectations a lot higher – not just as a run-making machine, but also for his fierce commitment to his trade.
Of course, if the Sandeep Patil-led selection committee decides to “rest” Kohli, it will be hard to fault them for various reasons. He has been playing non-stop for a few months – and most of it in fifth gear. A tour to Zimbabwe is unlikely to attract much sponsor or fan interest, and is, at best, a goodwill gesture between the two cricket boards. On the field, Zimbabwe should be easy meat, and will offer India an opportunity to test their bench.
Kohli is the captain in the longer format and India have a busy schedule ahead, with the team scheduled to play 18 Test Matches between June 2016 and March 2017. Above all, Kohli is the team’s most valuable player and the backbone of the batting order. Wrapping him in cotton wool for a few weeks is not entirely a bad idea. We need him for bigger battles, not just the odd skirmish.
The value of the India cap
However, you tend to believe Kohli when he, like all the others, says that playing for India is all that matters to him. Like his idol Tendulkar, Kohli's helmet has the Tricolour above the BCCI emblem. And unlike his idol, he doesn’t get into first gear when batting in the 90s, and certainly enjoys captaincy a lot more.
Even if RCB were to play the IPL final on May 29, Kohli will have at least 10 days – almost a luxury these days – to recover before the first Zimbabwe ODI. That may just be enough rest for a supremely fit man who just got to three figures with a split webbing in his hand.
Kohli would do well to tell the selectors he is available for selection. His advisors must also remind him that while Tendulkar opted out for some of India’s international matches in the latter half of his career, he hardly ever had the country-versus-club dilemma during his 24-year career. This is an opportunity to make a strong statement with a message that young cricketers will hold on to.
At Rs 15 crore, Kohli is the highest-paid player in the IPL this year, and seems like the only investment Vijay Mallya got right in recent times. And so, while it’s unrealistic to expect professional cricketers to skip the IPL to feature in a low-key bilateral series whose TRPs are unlikely to get media planners excited, it will be interesting to see whether Kohli emulates members of the best cricket team in the world, or goes down the beaten path.