Virat Kohli's Farewell at SCG: A Final Goodbye from Australia?

Sydney: Day 2 of the Sydney Test felt like a flashback in time, with Virat Kohli taking center stage as the animated captain of the Indian team. He was constantly in motion, making strategic changes on the field, sharing jokes with his teammates, and celebrating with unmistakable exuberance. The cameras couldn't get enough of him, capturing his every move and expression. It was a fitting setting for Kohli, facing off against Australia, the country where he first made his mark in the Test arena.

Kohli and Australia are like bosom pals, and they have gone through a lot. From abuse to respect, the journey has been long and tenuous but the 36-year-old would not have had it any other way. That is why as he plays what could possibly be his last Test in Australia, it feels like it is something substantial. Yet, it also reminds us that time doesn’t stop for anyone.

If watching Kohli captain made many nostalgic, his batting quickly brought us back to the present. So excited did he look while captaining the team that it looked like the enthusiasm will also boost his batting. But that thought was little more than a fool’s errand.

He has been caught in the cautious trap quite a bit these days, and given how Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul started their innings, it felt like the days when ‘intent’ was part of every cricketing conversation were back. We didn’t quite know whether it was the Kohli effect but it sure was a departure from how India played in the first innings.

Runs were coming quickly and it set up things for Kohli to take the fight to Australia, as he has so many times in the past. They didn’t mind his words because he often backed it up with runs.

But this tour has been different. Despite the century at Perth, his form has been poor. He seems a shadow of the batter who has scored nine centuries against Australia. The first of them came in Adelaide in 2012. He gained immense confidence from these performances against a team that is almost always competitive.

As he emerged from the dressing room, he was greeted by boos. His recent shoulder charge of Sam Konstas in Melbourne hasn’t won him admirers. Boos turned to cheers as the Indians in the crowd realised what happened.

He was in the mood to not be passive. He ran the singles hard initially and seemed to settle into a nice, natural rhythm. But as soon as Boland found his length, those watching knew that something was about to happen.

Boland’s unerring accuracy and the subtle seam movement he extracts from pitches make facing him a bit of a lottery and no one knows that better than Kohli, who has been dismissed multiple times on this tour.

Just as it looked like he was away, he edged one to second slip off Boland. He had made 6 off 12 balls and once again been dismissed while playing a delivery on the 5th to 8th stump line.

He was livid as he walked off. He has been dismissed playing at such deliveries 8 times on this tour alone. You could see him mentally admonishing himself. A few cuss words were let loose. Mostly this anger was directed inwards. He knows exactly how the Aussies are getting him out, but just can’t help himself.

In 30 Tests played against Australia, Kohli has never backed down. His overall average of 43.67 against Australia shows why the crowd has loved and supported him.

Kohli knew he had a chance to take the game away from the Aussies but this failure will rankle him for a long time. He has been a great believer in the present and even captain Kohli would not have picked Kohli the batter for the Test.

Australian great Mark Waugh in the commentary box said: “It is almost like he has got a spell on him that is mesmerising him. He is mesmerising that bat to follow the ball and that could well be the last time we see Virat Kohli on Australian soil and in Test match cricket.”

However, given how Australia have zeroed in on the right line to dismiss Kohli, a question in the press conference was if it was easy to get Kohli out. At one point, asking that would have been considered rude but now it seems right.

“No, it’s never easy to get Virat out,” said Australia coach Andrew McDonald. “I give full credit to the bowlers and the execution of the plan. It’s one thing to have a plan, but then to be able to execute that, the way that we have to Virat, it’s put him under immense pressure.”

McDonald added: “He’s tried some things. He’s walked out of his crease. He’s tried different tactics as well. But clearly that relentless nature of, in particular, Scottie Boland in that match-up, has been incredibly difficult for him to combat.”

This, in many ways, felt like the end of a chapter. Kohli hasn’t looked good in the middle and repeated dismissals against the same kind of delivery show that mentally he’s stuck in a bad place.

The sadness of how he has struggled in innings after innings on this tour is now starting to sink in. It wasn’t a great look but it could all change if India seal a win. Then the celebration will have a proper show and Australia won’t be able to forget him any time soon.

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