Watch: Even when a match isn’t about Virat Kohli, it’s about Virat Kohli.
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Against England in the second Test at Lord’s, he made just 62 runs across two innings and also dropped a potentially crucial catch on the final day.
And yet the India captain hogged the cameras as his team closed in on victory, charging off on his own whenever he did hold onto a catch and becoming engaged in near-constant verbal duels.
Even when India were preparing to declare, Kohli’s personality shone through. Standing on the balcony in his whites as he considered the perfect moment to call in his batsmen, the No.4 could be seen spritzing himself generously with what appeared to be some sort of cologne, a routine action when performed by any other player, but with Kohli a gesture of such peak alphadom that England may as well have just conceded defeat then.
The moment did not go unnoticed. The Independent’s Vithushan Ehantharajah rated Kohli “very much the purveyor of the Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good mantra”, while The Grade Cricketer, whose job it is to pass judgement on these sorts of moments said, “England should have known it was over when Virat lashed a bit of Lynx Africa on himself before taking the field”.
England should have known it was over when Virat lashed a bit of Lynx Africa on himself before taking the field pic.twitter.com/4zBlfUH8t2
— The Grade Cricketer (@gradecricketer) August 17, 2021
Soon enough England were two down within two overs, with victory achieved with a little under 10 overs to spare. Joe Root and his team never stood a chance.
Watch Kohli spritzing himself below:
Virat Kohli very much the long-term purveyor of the Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good mantra #EngvInd
— Vithushan Ehantharajah (@Vitu_E) August 17, 2021
