Last Updated on 4 years by Charbel Coorey

When Lord’s was the home to “Kohlism” | How Virat Kohli led the way as captain to help India take a 1-0 series lead in England

As James Anderson froze in his defensive pose late evening on Day 5 at Lord’s, chaos enveloped him from all corners. Mohammed Siraj, who broke through Jimmy’s defense and England’s spirit, charged to claim the uprooted stumps. The close-in Indian fielders jumped in joy and jubilation while Jasprit Bumrah leaped and punched the air in delight in the background.

And there was captain Kohli, running in all directions, throwing fist pumps and letting out a roar for the ages.

The frenetic response to the win was understandable. The Indian team had no right to be in this position given the way the final day had started. Rishabh Pant, India’s last recognized batsman, fell in the fourth over of the day with a lead of just 167.

With the new Dukes ball in hand, it felt as if it was only a matter of time before England’s bowlers would blow over the Indian tail. Soon after, Ishant fell too. With Bumrah and Shami at the crease, tensions began to escalate. On the backdrop of Bumrah’s fiery spell to Anderson, late on day three, and the war of words that ensued thereafter, England saw this as an opportunity to give it back in kind. There was a match to be won, but England had some scores to settle at first.

Anyone who has watched Kohli’s Team India over the years should by now realize that you can knock this team down, but not knock them out. Australia learned their lessons at the Gabba earlier in the year. England was about to find out now.

Shami and Bumrah courageously fended off a barrage of bouncers. Bumrah was hit twice on the helmet but it was the English who were losing their heads. After absorbing the pressure and managing to survive the onslaught, Shami & Bumrah started throwing punches of their own.

And, here India’s lower order batters began punching Root’s England into submission. An earlier pensive Virat gave way to the abrasive and cocky Kohli on the Lord’s balcony as the Sham-rah show put India in total command.

Shami brought up his fifty, Bumrah reached his personal best Test score and England did not know what hit them.

How Lord’s became the home of “Kohlism” for a few manic hours

Nine balls into the second session, Kohli decided to declare. The match was beyond England by now. It was only a matter of survival. Against a team led by a mad captain with a mad desire to win at all costs. They call it the Home of Cricket. For the next three hours, it was Home to Kohlism.

Sixty overs. Ten wickets. Kohli’s message was simple: “Make it a hell for them.”

Kohli has the required ammunition of fast bowlers and the appetite for a fight to make it a hell for the opposition. If Ganguly showed us the way to compete outside our comfort zone through grit and determination, Kohli wants to conquer the world by dominance and demolition. As Bumrah & Shami carried their batting form into their new ball spells and sent the English openers back for ducks, Kohli orchestrated the chaos from the slips.

England were in a survival battle and Kohli made sure that they knew about it loud and clear.

After the opening spell that claimed both the openers, Kohli went to his spinner Ravi Jadeja, as early as the ninth over of the innings. The experiment with spin lasted for only three overs. While Dhoni used to outfox the batsman with his cunning ploy of spin, Kohli likes to outmuscle the opposition with pace.

England went to tea four down. For India, the equation was simple. Get Joe Root out early and win the game. Bumrah delivered the knockout punch right after tea. The England captain having scored more than 200 runs in the game without dismissal finally nicked one off to Kohli at slips.

The game was done and dusted. Buttler, Moeen and Robinson offered some resistance, but the Indian bowling attack was too good for them.

It was Bumrah, Shami, Ishant and Siraj who were firing the bullets, but it was the Indian captain who was calling the shots. This team has won at Nottingham and Johannesburg. At Colombo and Melbourne.

But the victory at Lord’s had Kohlism written all over it. For a game where he contributed little with the bat, Kohli’s passionate leadership shone through. This team has humbled the Aussies in their own backyard, not once but twice. They have a chance of winning a series in Australia and England in the same year and if they manage to do it, a lot more people will believe that there is a method to the madness in Kohlism.

From a team with no fast bowlers some five decades ago, yet here we were, on the cusp of conquering the Home of Cricket with four of them, each menacing in their own way, guiding us to victory. This is Kohlism.

For a generation brought up on the meek surrender of Indian teams on away tours, a victory on foreign land feels like an anomaly. In reality, it is not. Kohli’s team has won more away matches than any other Indian team. This is Kohlism.

A certain Indian Test team had abandoned a chase of 86 runs in 15 overs with 7 wickets in hand in Dominica in 2011 and called for a truce. There is no truce with this team. This is Kohlism.

There may be arguments and debates about the right way or the wrong way. The only thing that matters right now is that India is winning the Kohli way. And as long as the rules of the game are respected, there is no sense in virtue signaling. Like it or not, The Kohli way is here to stay and it is time to embrace the Kohlism!

Written by Anup R