DHARAMSALA: India’s World Cup campaign acquired an aura of invincibility, and more than a dash of inevitability, with a four-wicket victory over New Zealand chasing 274 on Sunday.
Five games in, the law of averages has not applied to this team so far. At the centre of this powerful vortex consuming all in its path is the eye of the storm, Virat Kohli, the calm epicentre, the glue who binds the diverse elements and brazenly attempts to scale both tall run-chases and some stratospheric landmarks which are in his sights.
The epoch-making 49th ton, which would have equalled Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI tally, nearly happened on Sunday, but Kohli faltered on 95 (104b; 8x4, 2x6), going for a six and falling to a Matt Henry slower delivery with five runs still needed for victory.
