A simple tweet from Indian cricket icon Virat Kohli, posted over seven years ago, has suddenly exploded across social media platforms. The reason? South African batter Aiden Markram just played a magnificent, potentially match-winning century in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final, propelling his team closer to a historic victory and their first ICC trophy in nearly 30 years.
Fans were quick to dig up Kohli’s old praise for the Proteas opener, highlighting what many now see as a remarkable foresight from one of the game’s greats.
A Look Back: Kohli’s Early Praise for Markram
Virat Kohli’s admiration for cricketing talent, particularly from South Africa, is well-known. He shares a deep bond with legendary batter AB de Villiers and has openly expressed his respect for Faf du Plessis, even selecting him as the one player he’d pick from any team during the 2019 ODI World Cup captains’ meeting.
It was within this context of appreciating South African talent that Kohli first noticed Aiden Markram. Having made his Test and ODI debuts in 2017, Markram began showcasing flashes of brilliance. A specific innings caught Kohli’s eye in 2018: an 84-run knock in the second innings of a Test match against Australia in Cape Town. Reacting to that performance, Kohli tweeted:
“Aiden Markram is a delight to watch!“
At the time, it was just a compliment from one player to another. Fast forward seven years and three months, and this tweet has become a viral sensation.
Markram’s WTC Final Heroics
The tweet’s resurgence is directly linked to Markram’s stellar performance in the ongoing WTC Final. South Africa is chasing a target of 282 runs at Lord’s, aiming to end their long drought for an ICC title that stretches back to the 1998 Champions Trophy.
By the close of Day 3, Markram had steered his side into a commanding position, finishing unbeaten on 102. His composed century anchored a crucial 143-run unbroken partnership for the third wicket with captain Temba Bavuma. This stand left South Africa needing just 69 more runs for victory with eight wickets in hand.
Markram’s innings was a masterclass in patience and aggression, decorated with 11 fours. Despite an early scare where he edged a delivery on 23 that fell between the keeper and first slip, he grew in confidence, reaching his hundred off 159 balls at an impressive strike rate of 102.
The Tactical Context: Australia’s Defensive Shift
Interestingly, expert analysis of Day 3’s play highlighted a strategic shift from the Australian side that arguably allowed Markram and Bavuma to flourish. According to former players like Matthew Hayden and Dale Steyn, after taking two early wickets on Day 3 (Rickelton and Mulder), Australia adopted a surprisingly defensive approach.
Hayden criticized this, calling it a “defensive effort” and a missed “trick.” He argued that Australia should have maintained attacking fields with close-in catchers, especially for Bavuma, rather than pulling fielders back. Steyn added that, given the low bounce of the pitch at Lord’s on Day 3, fielders at short cover or short midwicket were crucial catching options that Australia seemed to neglect. This perceived lack of sustained attacking pressure, according to these seasoned observers, allowed the crucial partnership to settle and take the game away from the Australians.
Spotting True Class
While Virat Kohli certainly didn’t possess a crystal ball to predict this specific WTC century seven years prior, his early commendation of Markram’s batting prowess speaks volumes. Like many other legendary cricketers, Kohli demonstrated an ability to identify inherent talent and ‘class’ even before a player reaches their peak.
Markram’s match-defining knock has not only put South Africa on the precipice of a historic win but also resurrected a classic example of one great player recognizing the potential in another, years before the world witnessed its full flowering on the sport’s biggest stage. The viral tweet serves as a fitting footnote to an innings that Proteas fans will remember for decades.
