The Chase Genius: Virat Kohli Game of Patience and Perfection

In regard to the Australian and Indian semifinal clash, the focus at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS) was on how much the pitch would turn, the best score being around 170 runs, and what the total might be. After sharing the pitch report alongside Michael Atherton, Ramiz Raja informed the journalists in the media box that it was a 170-run pitch. To Raja’s surprise, the Indian team ended up conceding close to a hundred runs more than they should have on what looked like a tough pitch. Luckily, they had chase master Virat Kohli on their team. For more Details, Click Here

Kohli was at the crease during the chase, and he effortlessly ticked off runs, single handedly making Australia feel like they were jet skiing against the tide, as with Kohli on the crease, no target felt insurmountable for India. Striking five boundaries, Kohli managed to score 84 runs in 98 balls at the cost of only five boundaries. During the match against Pakistan, he scored a hundred while hitting a mere seven fours. There was terribly little need or room for needless adventure or exhibit of bravado. Following India’s entry into the Champions Trophy finals, his innings showcased unmatched control and class with only a sprinkle of his trademark cumulated power.

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“His chasing skills could be considered the best in the game. He has done it countless times to us. He manages the rhythm of the game expertly, plays to his advantages, and extends the game. I was under the impression that he performed very well again tonight,” Steve Smith, now of Kohli’s era, said of the four wickets the Australians lost. He now stands second in the most runs am.

He was on course for his 52nd ODI century when his own indiscretion got the better of him. Although this was not very important anymore as the groundwork had already been done due to the three partnerships that he was part of: 91 with Shreyas Iyer for the third wicket, 44 with Axar Patel for the fourth, and 47 with KL Rahul for the fifth.

“From my perspective, it is about analyzing the conditions, creating a strategy, and simply rotating the strike since this pitch requires a lot of partnerships. My only contribution for that day (against Pakistan) and today was to make enough partnerships,” said Kohli while elaborating on the contributions needed in a difficult chase during a knockout game.

Virat Kohli displayed the calmness of a monk “I wasn’t feeling desperate,” he recollected. “I was able to accept my lot and there was little sadness on my part for losing a wicket and accepting the single that was offered. When you find pride in taking singles and feel you are in good cricket, as they say, in for a big partnership, and you do need to calm yourselves a little.” Kohli firmly believes everyone needs to calm themselves a little, especially in games against Pakistan.

Resisting the urge to slash when a strike seems so deliciously appealing can prove challenging but Kohli mustered up tremendous self-control, and it did the job. This is how he ‘textbooked’ his way through the chase. In the team or batters’ meetings, there is constant education that at times the players have more than enough time and there is no rush. It seems to be an order to ignore the time on the board and just focus on the ball and not let the mind wander to look back or forward. It’s something Kohli abides by religiously.

“It is crucial, if your mind is racing, to remind yourself to stop, take a brief three second pause, re-center your mind, and then step back into your mental stance. The Navy Seals have a philosophy that says it best. It is never about rising to the occasion but descending to the level of your training. In simpler terms, it is about conveying oneself with the unique attributes one possesses during these vital moments of the game,” recalls a famous batting coach of an IPL team while observing Kohli’s insights.

“He is never concerned about those fine details. But to him, chasing seems to trigger something in his psyche, and that’s when it borders on genius.” With Kohli, most of his movements are supersensible, but with sheer calmness, he is able to switch on intellect which overrides the need to overthink, that is what brilliance is.

Kohli’s statistics are nothing short of phenomenal, especially his chasing numbers. He has the highest runs (5999) in successful ODI chases, and is second only to Sachin Tendulkar in all ODI chases with 8063 runs. During the semi finals, Kohli became the second player after Tendulkar to score 8000 runs in run chases. Kohli is the only player out of 237 batters with over 1000 runs in ODI chases to maintain an average above 60. Additionally, Kohli has crossed the 80 run mark in ODIs 76 times, and during the semifinal, his 5.10% boundary percentage was the second lowest he has recorded only being slightly higher than 4.34% during his 82 against Sri Lanka in Bulawayo in 2010.

“He is a brilliant one-day cricketer,” said Gautam Gambhir, India’s head coach. “He knows how to execute a plan of accumulating runs, be it batting first or chasing, and he also knows how to quickly adapt to different circumstances. And that is why experience and high-quality players are very important. That is the reason why he has that kind of record in one-day cricket. Let us see if he can do that in the future as well.”

Some people play the game, and some people show up at the most critical times and deliver. They actively seek to discover who the best version of them is. Very few can go to that space, and Kohli is certainly one of them.