There we were, back at the place where he first told us to ‘eff off. Back for old times’ sake. Once more for the King. One more time to see him pass by, one last chance to reach for the hem of his gown. The SCG put up its sold-out sign a few hours before the toss, but Moore Park was already bathed in blue as India’s expat fan group made their way from the train station to the cricket ground.
Virat Kohli still owns the spotlight, but two ducks in two games have got the relatives whispering down the phones about how long he’s got to go? Will we see that flash of eye and bat one more time?
The romantics were hoping for a hundred, the realists for a glimpse of the days when he ruled the roost.
So Sydney set out, again, to pay what surely must be our last respects to the man who’d played in five Tests, seven ODIs and five T20s at its cricket ground.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Cricket Et Al to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.