Kohli exits in rage, maybe for one last time in Australia

For a while on Day 2 of the Sydney Test, it felt like the clock had stopped.

- Ashish Magotra

SYDNEY: Virat Kohli, the captain, was animatedly ringing in the changes. He was joking with keeper Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul in the slips, arranging the field standing next to the batter, and celebrating with an almost unhealthy amount of chest thumping. The cameras were on him and he was enjoying every moment. It helped that it was against Australia—a country where he announced himself to the Test world.

Kohli and Australia are like bosom pals. From abuse to respect, the journey has been long and tenuous, but the 36-year-old would not have had it any other way. That is why, as he plays what could possibly be his last Test in Australia, a reminder that time doesn't stop for anyone.

If watching Kohli captaining made many nostalgic, his batting quickly brought them back to the present. So excited did he look while captaining (in Bumrah's absence) that it looked like the enthusiasm would rub off on his batting. But that thought was little more than a fool's errand.