It was a clash of icons and a contrast in receptions when Scott Boland crossed paths with Virat Kohli for the Indian champion’s final stand at the SCG on Saturday afternoon during what could prove the pivotal session of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
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From the Victor Trumper Stand emblazoned in sunshine to the grand SCG Members Stand, the anticipation awaiting the meeting between a global icon in perhaps his last innings in Australia and the late-blooming yet unassuming star in Boland was tangible.
Boland’s brilliant spell to remove KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal just as the Indian openers threatened to wrest the Test from Australia’s grip had heightened the senses of the 47,257 fans in attendance on another dramatic day in an enthralling series between the rivals.
As the Victorian walked towards the Clive Churchill Stand, fans stood by the thousands to salute “Scotty” from the south.
From schoolkids sporting a mixture of Aussie and BBL shirts to middle-aged men enjoying a schooner in the sun, they bowed in appreciation as Boland made his way back to the boundary after another astonishing performance with the ball.
A day earlier, former speedster Brett Lee had marvelled at the reception Australia’s supersub received from the SCG Members after a similarly devastating spell that removed Jaiswal, Kohli, Rishabh Pant and MCG centurion Nitish Kumar Reddy.
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This was no different. Boland may hail from south of the border, but the “Baggy Green” is a uniting force and the veteran appealed as Australia’s best hope with the ball at the tail-end of what has been an emotional series that began in November in Perth.
For Kohli, it presented a final opportunity with the bat while wearing his whites to thwart his fiercest foes in what has been a grand rivalry. And for much of this rivalry in Test cricket, it has been the champion No.4 who had the upper-hand until Boland’s arrival.
A run through his profile proves Kohli is one of the finest players to bat against Australia. In 30 Test matches against Australia dating back to the Boxing Day outing at the MCG in 2011, Kohli’s has played with flair and aggression and worn his heart on his sleeve.
He made the first of his nine centuries against Australia in Adelaide in 2012 at the end of his first tour down under. A year later he added another in Chennai. Just under two years ago he made 186 in Ahmedabad, which is his highest score against Australia.
And his most recent was a defiant 100 not out in Perth as India snared the early advantage in this edition of what has become a prized series, with Kohli to leave Australian shores having made 2,232 runs at an average of 43.67 against the “Baggy Greens”.
But the feistiness of his approach, from the recent skirmish with newcomer Sam Konstas at the MCG to the fiery encounters through the series in 2014 where India secured what has proven a stranglehold on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, have inflamed tensions here.
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Sandwiched between a chorus of boos when he emerged from the dressing room and another when his name was announced was a chant emanating from the Churchill Stand.
Just as Richard Hadlee copped heat when tormenting Australians during the 1980s, Kohli has assumed a similar role as pantomime villain given his lengthy history here. And the derogatory slang once directed to Hadlee was applied to Kohli here.
But that was just colour from the crowd. The real theatre was about to begin in the middle and, while the Indian champion was a dominant force in his prime, facing up to Boland in his current vein of form was always going to prove a challenge.
Kohli clipped the first ball he faced to the leg side, the timing so crisp it could be heard in front of the Members. Would this prove a triumphant last hurrah from an individual perspective? It was a promising start.
But dating back to the World Test Championship Final at The Oval in 2023, when Boland secured an edge that flew to Steve Smith in the slips to deny Kohli a half-century, he had made the champion his “bunny” by tempting him time and again outside off-stump.
And so it proved for the fifth time. Kohli’s innings lasted just 12 balls before he was drawn in again, falling for six when edging Boland to Smith to his immense frustration and also the astonishment of former Australian great Mark Waugh in the commentary box.
“It is almost like he has got a spell on him. He is mesmerising him. He is mesmerising that bat to follow the ball and that could well be the last time that we see Virat Kohli on Australian soil and in Test match cricket,” Waugh said.
On watching Smith snare his scalp, Kohli thumped his thigh in anger. As he exited the SCG, a ground where he made a marvellous 147 back in 2015, for probably the last time with the bat in hand, he waved it wildly in disappointment.
After stumps, Australian coach Andrew McDonald was quizzed about the method used to bring about Kohli’s downfall through the series. Bemused to be asked whether the legend was “easy to get out”, he said Kohli attempted to find a solution right to the end at the crease.
“It’s never easy to get Virat out. I’d give full credit the bowlers and the execution of the plan,” he said.
“It’s one thing to have a plan, but then to be able to execute that the way that we have to Virat put him under immense pressure. And look, he’s tried some things. He’s walked out of his crease. He’s tried different tactics as well.
“But clearly that relentless nature of, in particular, Scotty Boland in that matchup has been incredibly difficult for him to come bat, but he’s never an easy wicket, no.”
Given the astonishing counter-punch from Rishabh Pant, Kohli’s last visit could yet prove a success. But as the champion disappeared into the locker room, it was hard not to believe he had a lingering regret at his inability to produce one last great stand on Australian soil.
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