Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Virat Kohli’s Perth odyssey — a testament to his longevity

Virat Kohli's legacy in Australian cricket shines as he continues to prove his worth with his exceptional performances.

Currently, if cricketing reputations have to be made and legacies burnished, then it mandates fine performances in Australia. Earlier in the 1970s, 1980s and the early part of the 1990s, players earned their stars through their runs and wickets in the West Indies. Virat Kohli surely is aware of the filters that distinguish the great player from the good one.

His first Test century was a 116 against Australia at Adelaide in 2012. It also signalled a passing of the baton in a series that India lost 0-4 to the host. In those contests the trio of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman struggled to impose their will. A generational change was evident and Kohli led that shift.

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Cut to the present, as a 36-year-old senior, having gone through the ups and downs of sport, the waves of adulation and criticism, marriage and fatherhood, captaincy and the present final stretch, Kohli is again reiterating his validity Down Under. His unbeaten 100 against Pat Cummins and his men during the first Test at Perth’s Optus Stadium, was posted after openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and K.L. Rahul laid a firm base. Yet, these were runs that had to be earned against mighty Australian bowlers.

His seventh Test century on Australian shores is another testimony to his skill-set and longevity. Except for one quest to strike the red cherry wide outside the off-stump in the early part of his knock, Kohli was the monk who preferred serenity and later he became the pirate who broke the rules.

This is a batter delving into muscle-memory, adrenaline and the drive to prove that he is second to none. Not exactly an ageing Tendulkar against Dale Steyn, but Kohli still finds ways to stay relevant even if his numbers over the last few years may not entirely do justice to his talent.

This 30th Test hundred is a significant milestone in terms of numbers and for having gone past Don Bradman’s 29 tons. More importantly for India, the optics were the key. To wrest a three-figure yield in the first Test against the doughty Aussies, is a message that the old lion still has the hunger and the roar.