New Delhi: Only 43 cricketers in the history of ODIs have scored more than 11 centuries in the format. That number is only meant to give you some context for the statistic that is to follow. Virat Kohli, the man who seems to score ODI tons for fun, has scored 11 back-to-back tons in the 307 matches he has played.
The number is astounding on its own. But it is only when one takes into account that the next best on the back-to-back ton list is AB de Villiers with six that the true weight of the statistic is felt. So much has been written about how Kohli constructs his innings; about how he plans the chase; about why he is the master of the format.
But to find consistent (and record-breaking) success in an era where everyone seems to be chasing variations and the unorthodox requires a certain adherence to the old school of repeatability. Repeatable actions, repeatable shots – do it until it becomes muscle memory and do that long enough and you’ll end up a legend.
So often these days, a visit to a nets session feels like entering a lab. The batters are trying out new shots, working on their power game and thinking T20. Kohli’s net is different. The first thing that stands out is the intensity.
In Australia, even as he struggled on the field, his sessions were all about focus. The idea always seemed to be to get into the nets with something particular in mind. A chink to be ironed out, a line to be avoided, a shot to be perfected. A great career defined by an almost insatiable hunger, full yet empty at the same time.
No two knocks are ever the same. The pitch, conditions, opposition and the state of the game are all variables, as is your personal form. But the overall template of a Kohli innings almost never changes. Get a few singles, look for the loose ball, score at a run-a-ball, settle into cruise mode in the middle overs and start accelerating post the 35th over.
After scoring his ton in the first ODI at Ranchi, Kohli had spoken about how, even at the age of 37, he places great emphasis on the basics.
“I just wanted to play the ball and enjoy the game of cricket,” Kohli said. “It was about enjoying and when you get a start, then the experience kicks in and you’re able to build an innings. I’ve never been a believer of a lot of prep. All my cricket has been mental. I work physically very hard, as long as my fitness levels are up and then you visualise batting and feeling well, it’s good.
“I visualise the game a lot, when I think about the game, if I see myself being intense and sharp, I know I can relax and play out there. I’ve played 300-odd ODI games and so much cricket, if you’re in touch with the game and are able to hit balls in the practice, if you bat for an hour or two in the nets, you know you’re good.”
These are the basic tenets of the game. Stick to them and you’ll be in a good space. Most players start off doing all of this but then find themselves cutting corners. Kohli, and the other greats, never do that.
During the second ton in Raipur on Wednesday, Kohli’s commonsense came to the fore. The discussions with Ruturaj Gaikwad were about simple things.
“He helped me through the innings,” said Gaikwad during the mid-innings break. “Telling me where I could find gaps, what lengths the bowlers could bowl, etc. We kept small-small targets and once we felt really comfortable in the middle, there was a phase where the ball was coming on really nicely and I said ‘I’ll back myself’.”
Kohli has always needed something to get him going – anger, they say, fuels him. If the moment doesn’t find him, he’ll create one. And when he’s focused, as he is now, he can be unstoppable. Three fifty-plus scores in his last three matches are testament to his class.
But through it all, it is his consistency of method that has really carried him. The fitness, the diet, the clockwork-like schedule are all designed to push him hard even when no one is watching. These strokes of repeated genius are, after all, never something he has left to chance.’
