Yesterday I was not exactly complimentary about MS Dhoni. Today, if I had a hat I'd take it off to the Indian skipper and his batsmen for pulling off not only a remarkable victory but one achieved in exceptional circumstances. Having been advised that India could indeed still qualify for the Commonwealth Bank final against Australia by beating Sri Lanka inside 40 overs, it still looked very long odds indeed when Dilshan and Sangakkara played beautifully to set them 321 to win.
So to make the victory meaningful, India had to hit eight an over. The way they had been playing, they may as well have booked the next flight home - or wherever their next batch of ODIs take place. Sehwag, Tendulkar and Raina had all experienced a dismal sequence of matches Down Under. Suddenly they grasped the nettle and each played their part. The openers laid down the foundation, Gambhir worked hard to maintain it, Raina gave it some welly at the end but the day eventually belonged to my Man of the Moment, Virat Kohli.
He blasted an unbeaten 133 off 86 balls, including 24 off Malinga's penultimate over then two successive boundaries off the same dejected bowler to seal victory, not merely within the 40 overs but in the 37th! It's not often one of the most feared 'deth' bowlers gets creamed for 96 runs in fewer than eight overs, but in Hobart Kohli gave him a day to forget.
The Delhi batsman is still only 23 and it's not even four years since he played the first of his 82 ODIs, as an opener against old rivals Sri Lanka. He scored 12 and India were hammered. 24 of his appearances have come against Sanga, Mahela et al bu his record is just as impressive against most of the major nations apart from Australia and Pakistan. A career ODI average of almost 50 is world-class, as is his strike rate of 85, so it's a shame he can't carry that sort of form into Test cricket. India needs him to do so, and quickly. He's clearly capable. It doesn't matter so much that he's not ideal for T20, but as a middle-order batsman who can pick his shots and attack the best bowlers in the world, he ought to be given more opportunities to prove himself in Test cricket. He scored a century in his last five-dayer, but was a mite overshadowed by the 'doubles' made by Ponting and Clarke. When Dravid, Laxman and Tendulkar bow to the inevitable, India need Kohli and Raina in the engine room to restore confidence and faith in the former world leaders.
