A second look at Virat Kohli's knock against Pakistan: a greater masterclass than we thought
Pakistan felt they had a chance with India at 23/3. Then they ran into Kohli.
Turning pitch? Check. 61,000 screaming fans at the home of Indian cricket? Check. A familiar Indian batting collapse? Check.
Stress? Uncheck.
Virat Kohli is slowly building a legacy that can rival the very best. Pakistan may have thought they had a chance after reducing India to 23/3 in pursuit of 119, but they did not reckon with Kohli.
Nor, perhaps, did Sachin Tendulkar in the corporate box, when Kohli responded to his half century by bowing to the Master Blaster.
What Tendulkar – and the rest of us – must really contend with as we watch that innings again (video above) is this: does Kohli's performance on that treacherous Eden Gardens pitch bring him one more step closer to overhauling Sachin on the quality scales? For it really was an unbelievable innings.
Most of all, for the lack of nerves on Kohli's part. Watch. And then watch again.
