[Relive] When Virat Kohli Swallowed His Ego With A Majestic 149 At Edgbaston In 2018

"Dukes ball buries egos" - Well, this may not be true in the current scenario, with the current batch of the red ball not moving as much in the air or off the surface, thus making the life of batsmen slightly easy.

This was certainly not the case when these words were uttered by the then Indian captain Virat Kohli, when pressed by the Australian media about how their side should go about preparing for Ashes 2019.

This statement by Kohli was made in January 2019, exactly 5 months before he swallowed his ego, swelled his pride and dished out a masterclass for the ages in conditions tailor-made for its greatest exponent- James Anderson.

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Firstly, the context

It is the 2nd day of the opening Test of the 5-match series between hosts England and Kohli's determined Indians at a packed Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham.

Kohli, India's ring-master in the field and their most-prized asset with the bat, walked into the ground amid a ring of boos from the hostile Birmingham crowd.

Prior to this game, Virat had conquered many challenges thrown at him with a gust of swagger and disdain. But, this was not just another challenge. Kohli knew he had to swallow his ego for once against an opponent that was at the height of his powers and in conditions ideally suited to his bowling.

As Kohli strode out, Anderson, like a cunning wolf baying for his next target, was waiting for him at the top of his mark.

But, unlike in 2014 where Jimmy had exposed his defence to the hilt, this time Virat decided to mark his guard outside the crease in order to negate the movement.

Anyway, with the crowd behind him, Anderson ran in and delivered a beautiful outswinger, which Virat duly left.

James Anderson vs Virat Kohli, Edgbaston 2018

What followed next was 2 hours of high-quality battle between the two modern-day greats, with Anderson trying to lull Kohli into a false shot with a barrage of 6th stump tempters.

However, Virat, determined to prove his prowess in English conditions, stood like a monk, even though wickets kept falling at the other end.

On moments where he did err, the English cordon, especially Dawid Malan, wasn't up to it, leaving Anderson frustrated at the end of his 1.5 hour stern examination of the Indian champion.

Once he had passed the Anderson test with flying colours, and with wickets falling at the other end, Kohli unlocked the ODI beast and proceeded to hammer his next 92 runs off just 116 deliveries.

He was again dropped by Malan in the slip cordon, this time off the bowling of Ben Stokes, but it did not hamper his determination, and that elusive ton now seems a formality.

The moment eventually came when he steered a length delivery from Stokes past backward point for a boundary. And, given the manner in which he celebrated- a guttural roar that screamed of personal satisfaction- it showed how much it mattered to him.

Kohli raced his way to 149 in no time to get his team 13 runs closer to England's total before he finally holes out to Adil Rashid.

But, by then, he had won over the hostile home crowd, which rose in unison to give him a standing ovation, hours after welcoming him with thunderous boos.