Virat Kohli gets the monkey off his back as India race to an impressive win

The Indians, with their famed batting line-up, lived up to their billing of being the favourites as they chalked out an impressive six wicket win against Pakistan in the league stage of the Champions trophy.

What was expected to be a frenzied contest between two warring ancient civilisations turned out to be a stroll in the Dubai park for the Indians even as the match smashed all viewership records.

The Guru came good when it mattered the most, scoring a much-needed century, a knock that swept the opponents off their feet. Virat Kohli has now got the money off his back. His two juniors-Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill- broke the back of the Indian chase.

It is a massive compliment for Gill that at such a young age, he is being compared favourably to greats of the game.

Kuldeep Yadav, an exponent of the dying art of the Chinaman, wove a web against batters who, in any case, were not willing to leave the crease.

Kohli took centre stage, scoring 14,000 ODI runs on his way to his century. At 37, longevity remains one of his many strengths. His tale has been one of immense talent and exorbitant expectations.  Some of his innings should be sent to cricket academies around the world for youngsters to see and learn how an innings is built.

In the last few weeks, with no big score to his name, Kohli’s once wide eyes had dulled, hinting at a rising turmoil within. Cometh the hour, cometh the man. He announced his return to form with a resilient innings.

For so long, in the theatre of international cricket where no quarters are asked for and none given, he has thrived against swing and cut, prospered in damp and dry and flourished in every cricket playing continent.

Yadav bowled an admirable line and length. Called into action much earlier than anticipated, he was on the money straight from his first delivery. As his figures tell, he was economy personified. Pacers Hardik Pandya and Harshit Rana gave him good support as 241 was never going to be a tough task in front of the formidable Indian batting line-up.

The only Pakistani to be given some respect was tweaker Abrar Ahmed. He bowled with guile and rooted the batters to their crease. Ahmad had won his little battle. He gave away just 28 runs in his 10 overs. The New Zealanders, against whom Pakistan plays its last match, will be looking forward to dealing with him. They will have to launch a counter-offensive if they have to tame him.

If New Zealand win their match against Bangladesh, it will be all over for the Pakis. Skipper Rizwan will have to answer a lot of unpleasant questions at home and that too in front of a fickle cricket-mad public.

Pakistan would like the Kiwis to drop some points, which is unlikely to happen, notwithstanding the glorious uncertainties of the game. Pakistanis are great fighters but only when they stop fighting amongst themselves. The elementary truth is that they were a team fancied to progress but have crashed out, once again. They have yet to learn how to tide over their unpredictability, impulsiveness and infighting.

The Indian think tank will have to ponder over the role of a champion batter like KL Rahul. If he is being made to play as a wicketkeeper, the team will do better if they play with a specialist one. And if he is being played as a specialist batter, then what is the need to send people like Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel ahead of him in the batting order?