COLOMBO:Like your first love, or your first job, or closer to the sport, your first hundred or five-for, the first is always special, closer and warmer to your heart for merely the reason that it’s your first. Virat Kohli is no romantic, though is he is a magnet to the romantics, but he’ll forever cherish his first win as skipper. At 12.34, at the historic P Sara Oval, in Kumar Sangakkara’s farewell Test, Kohli notched up his first Test win as captain of by a massive margin of 278 runs.
Not that he was frantic about it, but he has slain a pesky monkey off his back, more so after the intense scrutiny he was put through in the wake of the shocking defeat in Galle. He had points to prove on many fronts—his methods, his judgment, his man management, his evolution and most importantly his temperament. And without any hyperbole, it can be assumed that Kohli has passed most of these tests.
On the strategic front, the swapping of Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane was vindicated, the latter reeling off a second-innings hundred and the former reviving his form with a first-innings half century and crucial 34 in the second dig. Umesh Yadav, who replaced Varun Aaron, reposed his faith with spirited spells throughout the match—his first-ball strike on Day Five—chopped the legs off Sri Lanka’s bleak pursuit to level the match. It set the tone, from which Sri Lanka never recovered and caved in for 134.
Then there was Stuart Binny, justifying his return with stifling spells in both innings. Not to forget he accounted for Mathews in the first innings, soon upon the latter reaching his hundred. Likewise, whenever, the balance had slightly swung in Sri Lanka’s favour, Kohli had the means to wrestle back the initiative, like on the second session of the third day when Lahiru Thirimanne and Mathews were in the middle of a resolute partnership. He persisted with Ishant Sharma and he nailed Thirimanne to reverse the impetus. Even most of his bowling changes worked.
Even in bursts where India found fortune conspiring against them, Kohli seldom let things zoom out of control. Young captains are notoriously prone to overreactions and petulance, but Kohli was calm and measured, and not weighed down by the precedents of Adelaide and Galle, the latter more so, as India had conclusively outsmarted the hosts on the first two and a half days.
It’s perhaps too embryonic a stage to start dreaming of a brave new India, but there are enough pointers to believe that the brave, new India is in the making.
Scoreboard
India (1st innings) 393.
Sri Lanka (1st innings) 306.
India (2nd innings) 325-8 decl.
Sri Lanka (2nd innings, 72-2)Mathews c Rahul b Yadav 23, Chandimal b Mishra 15, Thirimanne c sub b Ashwin 11, Mubarak c Kohli b Ishant 0, Prasad c Mishra b Ashwin 0, Herath (not out) 4, Kaushal lbw Mishra 5, Chameera lbw Mishra 4. Extras (lb 4, w 1, nb 2) 7. Total (all out, 43.4 overs) 134. Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-33, 3-72, 4-91, 5-106, 6-111, 7-114, 8-123, 9-128. Bowling: Ashwin 16-6-42-5, Yadav 7-1-18-1, Ishant 11-2-41-1, Mishra 9.4-3-29-3.