Left-arm who? Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma serve up icy revenge in foothills of Dhauladhar to break 20-year-long hoodoo
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli buried their demons against left-arm bowling and delivered India's first win over New Zealand in ICC tournaments after 20 years.
Rohit Sharma was there… four years ago in Manchester. Sitting in the balcony watching Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni gut it out. For Rohit, who had set the World Cup 2019 on fire with over 650 runs including five centuries, it wasn't his day. The law of averages has caught up, not just with him but the Indian team. Rohit had nicked a ball from Matt Henry and his World Cup campaign was over. But as Jadeja raised hopes of a miraculous win, Rohit was egging him on. The visuals of him flexing his biceps and then gesturing at Jadeja saying 'you've got this' was heartwarming.
Virat Kohli was there too. He'd had a miserable outing himself. Trent Boult had gotten him out LBW for 1. In the change room, Kohli was absolutely losing it and when Rishabh Pant played a rash shot and perished. The frustration transitioned to despair when India's last hope, MS Dhoni was run out. And it wasn't even the last of the heartbreaks Kohli would endure against New Zealand. Two years later, India lost twice more to the Kiwis, including the final of the inaugural World Test Championship. Another ICC event, another defeat against their 'bogey' team.
On Sunday, October 22, 2023, the occasion may not have been as big as a knockout, but it was equally significant. After all, this is a World Cup and India had to get that proverbial monkey that's been clinging on their back for 20 years. Memes of Trent Boult flooded the internet before the Dharamsala game, reminding India's left-arm quick struggles and the spice escalated further when the left-arm quick himself hinted at expecting fireworks.
Kohli and Rohit however were having none of it as they smashed this preconceived notion, each flourishing against their respective tormentors. Left-arm pace for Rohit, left-arm spin for Kohli. The captain's intent at the top has been a big part of India's success in the World Cup. So why not? After eight balls of circumspection and one beat, Rohit probably told himself, Alright! Enough of this. Let me do what I have been doing. Left-arm or no left-arm. I'll simply go'. And go he did. Rohit's little side-on stance has helped him crack the code versus left-arm pace. He did that to Shaheen Afridi multiple times during the Asia Cup and the World Cup and tonight, it was Boult's turn to find out. After a half-chance at first slip was spilled, Rohit went into overdrive with a lofted six over the sightscreen. 19 balls, 18 runs, two fours and a six. The equation may appear close but Rohit was the clear winner. Didn't let Boult settle and took a step towards easing some of India's painful memories.
But his real payback was reserved for Henry, who had nicked him out at the 2019 World Cup semis. His assault on the New Zealand quick was a throwback to what Sachin Tendulkar did to Henry Olonga at Sharjah 25 years ago. Two sixes, both of them while stepping out to the fast bowler. Another Tendulkar classic. That New Zealand had limited swing to fall back on allowed Rohit to find his free-flowing marauding self. All this, while Henry was weaving a dream spell to Shubman Gill, beating the opener thrice in a row, making the ball climb and nip in. The man who was feasting on the BlackCaps bowling at the beginning of this year had to yield the spotlight to Rohit, who was racing away.
Boult, who had dismissed Rohit four times previously, had gone at 7 an over, and Henry at 6. India were bossing the chase, their captain looking unstoppable yet again. Mitchell Santner was the only bowler who troubled Rohit remotely, and even he got smacked for a six. But, to outdo his left-arm spin threat, India had reserved a special plan. A plan called Kohli. It's well-documented how left-arm spin isn't something Kohli fancies. Since January of 2021, he has been dismissed 8 times to the likes of Keshav Maharaj, Shakib-Al-Hasan, Ashton Agar, Dunith Wellalage and of course, Santner. But Kohli was here to change trivia and script history.
Santner was on his game from the first ball he bowled to Kohli. He had Kohli play and miss twice in the same over, but his guile wasn't enough to force a false stroke from the batter. Everytime a tense run chase begins to unfold, no one knows the calculations that are running in Kohli's mind. He still, he does it, over and over again. From 28 off 47, Kohli moved to 50 off 60 – 22 runs in 13 balls. Besides Santner, Kohli had to do with the uncertainty of Rachin Ravindra, whom he was facing for the first time ever. And what better way to break out of it than teeing off with an inside-out six. It was Kohli's third six against left-arm spinners in 53 balls, and it marked a substantial improvement, given that he had previously managed only one six in 159 balls since January 2022.
"The required rate was never above 6. We managed to chip a few out, but Kohli is the master of those kind of chases and showed it again tonight," Santner said after the match.
KL Rahul's LBW and Suryakumar Yadav's run out injected tension in the air. Without Shardul Thakur, Ravindra Jadeja was the last of the recognised batter Kohli had the support of. The previous game against Bangladesh was relatively easier. Here India needed 19 off 22 balls. New Zealand turned to Boult - who got the better of Kohli thrice in ODIs – in their final throw of the dice. But by now, Kohli had hit his peak. Just a day shy of his one-year anniversary from Melbourne 2022 against Pakistan, Kohli triggered celebrations early. SIX, DOT, FOUR and only the formalities remained.
Even the mighty Dhauladhar in the backdrop looked pale in comparison to the icy-cold revenge Kohli and Rohit had served.
