MOHALI: Before the third ODI, Virat Kohli’s 7306 runs had come at an average of 51.81, MS Dhoni’s 8978 51.01. When the two came together, at a worrying 41/2 in 8.4 overs chasing 286, India couldn’t have asked for a better combination to steer them out of trouble.
They know how to do that. Cut out the risk factor, keep the scoreboard moving by rotating strike and go for the odd boundary to keep the asking rate in check. That's what they did during their 151-run partnership. Though Dhoni fell for 80, Kohli ensured there were no more hiccups as his unbeaten 154 took the match away from New Zealand and helped India go 2-1 up in the five-match series.
Styles contrasting, Kohli and Dhoni are finishers, who define the role in their own ways. For Kohli, it's steering the team home when he is set. For Dhoni, it's about taking the hard job upon himself. On Sunday in front of a near-capacity crowd that kept growing, Kohli and Dhoni showed once again why they are up there with the best when it comes to limited-over formats.
Kohli, who walked into the middle in the third over, was lucky to survive a dropped catch by Ross Taylor at second slip, when he intentionally tried to guide Matt Henry through third-man. Before facing the next ball, he watched it on the giant screen and then on, it was the quintessential Kohli.
It was the kind of stage — early wicket in a chase, opposition’s nose ahead, big total and a challenging attack — that Kohli likes to thrive on and exhibit his game. That 's what he did over the next three hours, as he brought his wrists into play to consistently flick for boundaries and opened the face of bat to find gaps through the off-side field. Rather oddly for a batsman who comes in at No 3, Kohli’s USP is his ability to finish off games. Odd, considering that it is a position most teams would prefer the man to just anchor the team from and leave it for others to finish the job. But Kohli prefers finishing it himself rather than leaving it for others. It's evident in the manner he constructs his innings. The 26th ODI century was his 16th batting second (94 innings). Only Sachin Tendulkar has more (17 in 232 innings). Between 50-100, he looked subdued and completely cut out big hits. Once past the three-figure mark, he just toyed with the Kiwi attack.
It was the classic age-old partnership, where if one was prepared to attack, the other was ready to put his foot down and rotate strike. While Dhoni took time to settle, Kohli ensured that the asking rate didn’t shoot up as he went after the bowling.
And once Dhoni got his eye in and came down the track to lift Jimmy Neesham over mid-off, the two were completely in control of proceedings in the middle.
Dhoni — who sprang a surprise by promoting himself to No 4, a position which continues to be a bit of a concern — looked intent from the word go. He stepped out to left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner to launch him over the sight screen for two huge sixes and was equally marauding against pacers. He might not have been at his best, but showed more than glimpses of his old self.
Once Dhoni departed, Manish Pandey kept Kohli company as India raced on to the target without breaking much sweat.