Kohli and Sarfaraz's paths have not crossed much since their RCB days, which ended after Sarfaraz's sacking in 2018. It was fitting that they were fighting for the first time in an international game in the very same place where they shared a beautiful moment all those years ago.

When the two came together, India were in trouble, trailing New Zealand by 261 runs. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma had fallen in quick succession after a good start and that meant Sarfaraz and Kohli had to do the rebuilding exercise. What they had in their favor was that the situation had calmed down. What they had to overcome was scoreboard pressure and maybe a demon or two.

Kohli and Sarfaraz were two of the five Indian batsmen who fell for a duck in the first innings where India bowled out the game for 46. Kohli had not scored a fifty in a Test match in 2024. It didn't seem like he was out of form, but he wasn't able to convert his starts as well as he did when he was at his peak. He also had to miss some games for personal reasons. Sarfaraz has been fighting for his place in the Indian team since making his debut against England earlier this year. There's a chance he wouldn't have even been in the starting XI if Shubman Gill had been fit. But the way they played belied the pressure on them.

After four balls of steadfast defence, Sarfaraz hit his favorite final shot, driving Ajaz Patel for four in a row. It was an important part of the game. Ajaz was the one who had fended off the Indian openers but suddenly he was unable to settle into any rhythm. Kohli, who was at 9 off 22 at the time after playing a few cautious shots, beat Will O'Rourke for a delightful cover attack. And as Sarfaraz guided the fast bowler past the slips, the Chinnaswamy Stadium, which had been silent for a while, found its voice again.

It wasn't a roar yet. More like a buzz. Sometimes that's what the scoreboard does. India had reached 121 for 2, averaging just under 4.70 runs per over, but were still trailing by 235 runs. Then came two shots from Sarfaraz that turned the clock back to 2015. Both shots came in one over from O'Rourke. Both shots are highly unconventional for a friendly.

O'Rourke tried to test Sarfaraz with a bouncer but the line was out of the field and as the pitch was not that fast, the batsman used all the pace on offer to speed it up to six. Two balls later, O'Rourke failed again. This was a quicker rebound aimed straight at Sarfaraz's body. But he arched back, and while he was almost ducking, he let the face of the stick fall in the same direction as the ball, sending it flying over the goalkeeper's head just as he was about to fall on his backside.

That was the moment. Kohli was divided. Bengaluru was delirious.

At this point, Kohli also wanted to join in the fun. As Ajaz bowled his 11th over, he leapt down the track and smashed the left-arm spinner for a straight six. But it was the reaction after the shot that showed he was in the zone. Kohli took a step to his right, adjusted the straps of his gloves and just nodded as he looked at Sarfaraz. The next ball came with a sweep through square leg that took the fifty partnership into the lead after just 45 balls before Kohli ended the over with another four through long leg.

The chants of “RCB, RCB” rang out but were soon replaced by “India, India”. The Bharat Army sang its songs, the Mexican wave lasted a good half an hour, the noise of the Dhols was deafening and in all this Sarfaraz and Kohli carried on.

The camaraderie between the two was also clearly visible. The first ball of O'Rourke's 45th over was a wayward short ball deep down leg. Sarfaraz instinctively batted at the ball in vain and then cast an embarrassed look at Kohli, knowing he had made a mistake about stumps with 15 minutes to go. Unfazed, Kohli looked to his right and almost immediately grinned broadly without saying much.