Melbourne: The India and Australia net sessions are often a beehive of activity with players and coaching staff hustling through the chores to make sure everyone gets what they want. Some want to practice specific shots, others just want to feel bat on ball and the bowlers want to make sure the ball is coming out of the hand fine. But it looks like Virat Kohli and Steve Smith want to bat on and on. If there was a ‘value-for-money’ tag attached to batting in the nets, we know who the prize would be going to in their respective teams.
Tuesday’s sessions saw Smith as energetic as he usually is. He was into the nets early and stayed there for a long time. From net bowlers to throw downs, his method has always been about facing as many balls as possible, while keeping an eye on the nets around him as well. If it is cricket, Smith must be in on the fun. Take, for instance, the moment when Marnus Labuschagne was bowled by Pat Cummins. Both bowler and batter weren’t sure what had happened but Smith, who was in the adjacent nets, quipped ‘bowled’. When Smith bats, you can almost hear his internal dialogue.
Kohli’s session is different. He was among the first Indian batters to get into the nets — just after Rishabh Pant. And what strikes one about him is the intensity. While Smith and the other Aussie batters don’t mind the chatter behind the stumps (which is where the journalists stand at the MCG), Kohli commands silence and space. Everyone is asked to back away. He isn’t averse to shushing the crowd. When Kohli bats, you can feel the smouldering intensity of his determination to succeed.
This Border Gavaskar Trophy series should have been about Kohli and Smith. The former is 36, the other 35 — not too old as far as modern cricket goes. Despite the murmurs, they still command respect — for what you fear isn’t what they are but they could be. At certain points in their careers, both have laid claim to the title ‘greatest of their generation’. But, as good as they are, they have been reduced to being forgettable characters in the Jasprit Bumrah-Travis Head show.
Cricket may be a team game but when you have ruled a generation, you aren’t comfortable with being ordinary. They are in a hard and lonely place — shadows of what they once were with their powers and mystique fading. Yet, they rage. Putting in the fight, trying to find the light, again.
Their fans may argue that it isn’t that bad. They have a century each in the series. Kohli started the series with a century in the second innings at Perth but his other scores are 5, 7, 11 and 3. Smith got a century in Brisbane but, overall, he hasn’t fared much better than Kohli, with scores of 0, 17, 2 and 4. They were once the most intimidating icons, but what are they now?
Imagine if you are Kohli or Smith, imagine coming from the highs that they have seen, imagine being asked day in, day out about form. It may not hurt, but it must certainly prick. The questions, though, are valid — this year, Kohli averages 25.06 in nine Tests and Smith 28.08 in 8 Tests.
This is a low neither batter has seen before. Since his Test career took off in 2013, Smith has been an unstoppable, quirky force in world cricket. Despite his current poor run, he still averages 56.05 — a number most batters will never reach in their careers. Against India, he averages 60.16 in 22 Tests with 10 hundreds. Kohli’s struggles have been more acute, but his Test average of 47.49 is still very good. His record against Australia is standout — 28 Tests, 2016 runs at an average of 46.12.
At times, Kohli and Smith seem like great old fighters preparing stoically for one last run at glory. They aren’t as quick, powerful or intimidating as they once were but possess a certain battle-hardened savvy, the knowledge of what to do when they are down. They don’t need to prove anything to anyone but they have their own standards to uphold, and that can be far more difficult to do than responding to outside noise.
Both might be helped by their connection with Melbourne. Smith’s record is outstanding — 11 matches, 1093 runs at 78.07. Kohli isn’t far behind, though he has just played 3 matches – scoring 316 runs at 52.66. It always helps to return to a venue where you have succeeded.
The poignance of their struggles is sharpened by how good they look in the nets. They are doing exactly what has brought them success for so long. Yet, in the middle, small moments of fragility are costing them.
Australia head coach Andrew McDonald is not a big believer in history repeating itself. And while he was speaking about the teams, his words might have a bearing on both batters too. “Every game starts afresh. I am not a big believer in momentum. If you took previous ones into account, from Perth to Adelaide should look like India winning that one as well. I think both teams have got similar challenges. How do you find runs? Both bowling attacks have been on top and this wicket potentially might offer the batters a little bit more in terms of the surface as the game draws on.”
India skipper Rohit Sharma doesn’t seem too worried. Asked about what he would tell Kohli, he said: “You called him a modern day great. Modern day greats will figure out their own way.”
That is what the crowds seem to believe too. The squeals of delight that greeted both batters in the nets was a sign of the regard fans have for their skill and how they remain revered. They aren’t just fighting the opposition, but also the ghosts of their past exploits.
They’ve both carried an enormous load on their shoulders all these years, and more than the runs perhaps, the love they still have for the game is most admirable. Maybe during the Boxing Day Test, they will give the 100,000 gathered at the MCG a chance to celebrate just that.
