Cuttack: Excitement enveloped Barabati Stadium as Virat Kohli made his entrance onto the field, heading directly to the nets for an extended practice session. Although it was not a match day, the enthusiastic crowd suggested otherwise, as local authorities permitted residents to witness their idol. Fully aware of the multitude of camera phones focused on him, Kohli began his practice while Gautam Gambhir observed from the top of the nets.

Kohli had missed the match in Nagpur due to a minor injury. His previous competitive appearance was for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy, where he managed only six runs before being dismissed by Railways pacer Himanshu Sangwan. Prior to that, he had endured a disappointing series in Australia, frequently falling victim to deliveries outside the off-stump. Recognizing the issues in his game, Kohli dedicated himself to rectifying them, focusing on each ball. He executed a controlled shot outside off-stump, not overly extravagant but sufficiently assertive. His stance and backlift were measured and balanced, and he was content to let balls outside the fifth or sixth stump pass by.

Such scenes are not unfamiliar for Kohli, particularly in the context of white-ball cricket, where he has a greater opportunity to establish himself before transitioning to risk-free boundaries. Despite Shreyas Iyer's commendable fifty in Nagpur, Kohli requires a substantial score to liberate himself and provide additional stability to India's middle-order batting.

However, the team may not necessarily need this stability, given their impressive recovery from early challenges. "At some point, you will lose a few wickets, whether from the openers or the middle-order," remarked India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak. "Overall, as a batting unit and as a team, there were numerous positives. Our approach to batting and the intent we displayed were commendable. After losing two wickets, we maintained a scoring rate of 9-10 runs per over and did not allow the opposition to gain momentum."

Kohli's inclusion is essential due to the dynamic nature of the remaining batting order. Given Gambhir's evident preference for left-right combinations, Kohli's role becomes increasingly significant alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja. He serves as a stabilizing element in a batting lineup that is progressively moving away from a fixed batting approach. However, it remains to be determined how India will structure their batting with Shubman Gill positioned at No. 3 and Kohli at No. 4.

In the context of one-day internationals, India can still accommodate two traditional players at the top of the order. Nevertheless, it is crucial to establish clear roles to prevent stagnation at any point during the innings. With two matches remaining in this series, Kohli requires 94 runs to become the third player to achieve 14,000 runs in ODI history, following Sachin Tendulkar (18,426) and Kumar Sangakkara (14,234). Having participated in 283 ODI innings, Kohli also has the opportunity to reach this milestone faster than Tendulkar (350 innings) and Sangakkara (378 innings).

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