Virat Kohli and The Offside Love : MCG Chapter

Life can be tough if you are Virat Kohli and just played 85 balls with sheer grind, leaving every tempting delivery outside off-stump—the very zone that has haunted him in recent years. The reward? A hard-fought 35 runs. Not a flashy knock, but one that showcased discipline and resilience with a cover drive oozing class.

Then came the run out. A mix-up led to a run-out, perhaps causing a momentary lapse in concentration. On the very next ball, Kohli reached out to play outside off and nicked it—game over. The timing couldn't have been worse, as India had just lost Jaiswal an over before.

Now the story of Kohli getting dismissed in this manner is far from new and he not being able to find a solution for it is a topic worth debating and rightfully so but today, he seemed determined to rewrite the narrative—putting in the hard yards, showing patience.

Watching so many batters from both teams flirt with danger outside off-stump and survive, couldn’t help but wonder: Couldn’t Virat deserve just a bit of luck? Just one edge that didn’t carry or a miss that spared him?

So the hope for him to get back to his former best or at least a version of it continues but for today I will not hold him accountable for much irrespective. He deserved to be still there playing tomorrow morning but he isn't and thats cricket and life. Sometimes, you do everything right—grind, persevere, give your all—and still, the outcome doesn’t favor you.

#viratKohli #MCG #BGT #IndiavsAustralia #indiancricket #linkedin