MCG Test: At the end of 2018, Kohli’s singular obsession with winning has a collective feel to it

In December 2017, India coach Ravi Shastri gave interviews to many media publications. The gist of those interactions was that the next 18 months would define this Indian team. India was ready to embark on a tour of South Africa, with England and Australia to follow. Three places where India have traditionally struggled and then there was the ODI World Cup in 2019.

So where exactly are we 12 months later?

India won four Test matches away from home but they also lost seven. The tours of South Africa and England were thrilling — India competed but lost. South Africa was close and perhaps the 4-1 scoreline was a bit too flattering to England, not reflecting just how close the series was. But Australia was meant to be one for the taking and so far India have looked like the superior side despite losing at Perth.

The tours of South Africa and England have helped raise the levels of this young bunch of Indian cricketers, the defeats have taught them lessons — there was hurt but now finally, at the end of the year, it all seems to be coming together.

Not too long ago, all the chatter leading up to a series would be about India’s batting. But as good as Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara (in the latter part) have been this year, that conversation has changed. The experts talk about India’s bowling, the opposition respects them as they go about taking 20 wickets in match after match. India, the land of champion batsmen, is finally producing fast bowlers. The bowling attack is formidable in all conditions. Unmatched... home and away.

“In bowlers’ meeting, I usually just sit and listen,” Kohli said after the win. “It is very important to understand what the bowlers are thinking. And then in that process you think of Plan B, and you communicate that to the bowlers. That’s how we operate. But the fact is that the bowlers are all the time dictating those meetings, [that’s] how you win Test matches away from home. At the end of the day they are running in with the ball so they need to be confident with what their fields are, where they are pitching, the pace of the wicket, how they can bowl dot balls, and how they can get wickets.”

Indeed, 2018 is the year in which India’s bowlers found their collective voice. Perhaps Kohli has a role to play in this – in a sense, he has empowered them. But still the weight of their performances allowed the skipper to trust them and their instincts.

Batting improves

And for most of the year, the bowlers were trying to undo the damage done by a fragile batting line-up. India’s batsmen with the exception of Virat Kohli found run-scoring in away matches to be difficult.

The opener’s didn’t click – they still haven’t and while Mayank Agarwal seems to be good, it is still too early to judge how he will do in the long run. Prithvi Shaw is another talent waiting in the wings and if he clicks, he might be in for the long run too. But this remains the most significant missing piece in the puzzle.

The middle order at long last has started to find its feet. Even Kohli is adapting to Pujara’s game and understanding the value of his grit and determination. Rahane finally seems to have found his confidence again. And Pujara is in a happy space.

If these three are scoring runs, the team will win more. The math is simple: put enough runs on board and this bowling attack will knock out the opposition. The win at the MCG showed that when Kohli has runs behind him, his captaincy can be very aggressive too. He had fielders in catching positions and that made the difference.

“Well, we always knew we can do this. Although we are very happy but we are not shocked or very surprised with what has happened,” said Kohli in the press conference. “We always believed that this is very possible because of the talent we have in the side and the mindset we have been carrying for the last 12 months regardless of what’s been said, regardless of the mistakes we have made. But our mindset never shifted once.

“So, I think the best thing about this win would be [the ability[ to bounce back again like we did in England, like in South Africa. I think that takes more mentally out of you than starting a series well. That’s why this victory is more special to the bowlers because they have been so tired and bowled so many overs and even in this game they had to put in more effort because of the nature of the pitch.”  

Intent: 2018’s buzzword

Perhaps the biggest change, at the end of 2018, has been that Kohli has finally managed to get this team to understand what he meant by intent. They started the year as a confused lot, not sure of what the skipper wants or how but now they all very much seem to be on the same page. Pujara getting run out more than once in South Africa, perhaps, summed this up.

But Kohli’s singular obsession now has a collective feel to it. Intent, this team has realised, comes in different forms. It’s in Kohli’s aggression; Pujara’s grit; Bumrah’s desire to improve with every match; Ishant’s willingness to run in ball after ball with the same energy.

“If you want to win a series away from home it has to be an obsession and once you are obsessed, changing your decisions according to opinions is not an option at all... you can’t change for someone else. And I think that’s been the most important factor for us that we haven’t changed our mindset regardless of who said what and at the end of the day, your belief is what matters because you are out there competing. Hat’s off to the whole team for sticking together, believing in ourselves and being obsessed about getting results.”

Sydney beckons next and with the entire team pulling in one direction they will be hard to beat. A date with history is theirs to keep.