"Kohli is the most Australian of your cricketers. He messes with the opponent's head just like our blokes do," Dominic Henderson, an abalone diver from Port Lincoln, told me over breakfast. It was October 26—the morning after the Sydney ODI—and we were discussing the match at the Epicurean restaurant in the city's tallest building, the 75-storeyed Crown Towers.
Virat Kohli, as everyone knows, made 74 not out in the tie—the last in the three-match India-Australia series. But the knock had come after two ducks on the trot. Never before had the great man been in a position like that in his 305-ODI career. His other 16 ducks had all been spaced out; never had one followed another.
Ahead of the ODI, the overarching question then among most fans had been about how messed up Kohli's head probably was and not about whether he was going to mess with the Australians. The Sydney Cricket Ground might have given the Indian great pride of place in the India corner of their cricket museum that we got to tour a day before the match, but that did little to alleviate concerns about whether this was his last bow that we were about to witness.
There were, of course, the faithful like Rohit Kaul, an Indian who had flown in for the ODI and who insisted before the toss that Kohli would score a hundred, because this was the "King" whom we were talking about. India's talismanic cricketer repaid that faith and delivered a performance to savour. Not only was he sprightly on the field while snapping up two catches, he also underlined while batting that age had not withered him nor custom staled his infinite variety.
Yes, there had been a few lucky moments, but it was a high-class exhibition and as Kaul kept insisting, Kohli's hunger to do well was underlined by the fact that he was "always looking to keep the ball down".
"Good to be out of the pond," Kohli would admit after the innings that saw him pump the fist and acknowledge the crowd with a smile after his first run.
"You've scored so many runs in international cricket, but then the game shows you everything. Even at this stage, almost 37 in not many days, and still can feel like I don't know how to get a run. I mean this game is amazing," he would go on to say at the SCG.
There was both humility and hunger (for the game) in that observation—and both bode well for the future.
On November 5, as Kohli turns 37, everyone who follows cricket in India must now reflect on what we can do for a once-in-a-generation cricketer who retains such an abiding love for the "amazing" game. The biggest favour might be to let him be by avoiding needless speculation over his future. This even if he goes on to fail in a few innings as we build up to the 2027 World Cup.
Look at the man's record, after all.
After the Sydney ODI, he is now the second-highest run-getter in ODIs. He was already the highest century maker in the shorter format. And that average of 57.71—it's the third highest in the game.
The two men above him are Milind Kumar, who has played in 22 ODIs—none top-flight matches—and Ryan ten Doeschate, who played 32 ODIs and most of them again against lesser teams. Remember also that his average is almost 13 runs more than that of Sachin Tendulkar and over 10 runs more than that of Viv Richards, the original "King".
In 40 ODIs since 2023, Kohli has made 1784 runs at 59.47. These include seven tons, with six of them coming in 2023 and one this year. And while he may be 37, he is probably India's fastest fielder and their fittest too.
It was as he was approaching 37 that Sachin Tendulkar made his maiden double ton in ODIs (against South Africa at Gwalior on February 24, 2010). As for Sunil Gavaskar, it was after he crossed 37 and in fact in his 38th year that he made his maiden ODI ton. Kohli has done enough and more to stand with them. Why must we expect any less?
Gavaskar's most famous opening partner Kris Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel after the Sydney ODI that it was important for selectors to reassure Kohli and his partner-in-crime in the match Rohit Sharma and let them know "they are important for the team". A see-ball, hit-ball cricketer, Srikkanth, an ex-chairman of selectors, emphasised that it was important not to needlessly "spook" the two stalwarts. He is right.
Rohit has underlined his commitment towards the future by shedding 11 kilograms and with his run-scoring exploits. Kohli doesn't have the kilograms to shed, but he too has sent enough signals of his keenness in being around.
As Sydney proved without the slightest doubt, the 37-year-old remains Indian cricket's biggest crowd puller and its lodestar. Fans throng the stadiums for him. The buzz Kohli generates holds its own value.
Letting the Indian ODI legend categorically know that he is needed for the World Cup will then be the ideal gift selectors can give to him and also to Indian cricket. We don't want question marks to pop up again like they did at Sydney, do we? Ajit Agarkar bhai, what say?
(The writer was in Sydney at the invitation of Destination New South Wales.)
