Virat Kohli's eyes were speaking in tongues. He was trying to digest being run out. This was back in 2014, a time when he was converting his 10s into 100s. On that roasting hot November day in Kolkata, he wouldn't get to.
Rohit Sharma must have felt really, really bad. It was partly his fault. So he did the only thing he could. Score one hundred for himself and another for his bestie. When he went back to the dressing room, 264 not out, Kohli's laser eyes had turned into one of the come-hither variety.
He had seen how much that innings meant to Rohit when he had gone down on his knees in the middle of Eden Gardens, overcome with emotion, shirt drenched in sweat, head slanted back, eyes closed, hand clinging to the bat that helped him make history which is part of Indian cricket folklore.
Kohli pulled Rohit into a big bear hug the moment they were back within touching distance.
A moment in time.
The PDA went the other way in 2022 when India burst out into the crisp Melbourne air. Ninety thousand people were losing their heads. They wanted to make a beeline for the man who had taken complete ownership of the MCG. But Kohli is precious cargo. Only a few have access. Rohit got to him first. And jumped on him.
A moment in time.
"Virat bhai!" "Virat sir!" "Rohit bhaiyya!" "Hitman!" Ranchi, this week, has delighted in welcoming them. It was a thrill to be so close. A memory to take home. A wave. A smile. A sumptuous straight drive. A glorious pull shot.
A moment in time.
There have been so many over the last 18 years. Bedlam in Hobart. Breakthrough in Cardiff, Blitzkrieg in Jaipur. The catalogue only ever expanded, and so did its uses.
Mums and Dads gained a foolproof bargaining tool. Kohli and Rohit's screen time for being good boys and girls. Cricket matches turned into date nights. Previously unexplored areas of pop culture were infiltrated. Shared fandom became the basis of new friendships and sometimes a strain in established ones, particularly because one succeeded the other as captain, triggering some of the most intense debates about who made the bigger impact on Indian cricket.
At the JSCA cricket stadium on Friday, there was a glimpse of meticulous Kohli. Scuffing up a part of the pitch, short of a length, and asking for balls to be aimed there so he could proceed to flat bat them away. And serene Rohit. Batting like he used to in ODIs, careful at first and expansive at the end. There was cheeky Kohli. Sticking his hands - still holding the bat - onto his helmet after he got beaten, playing to the jeers from his team-mates. And big brother Rohit. Standing by Yashasvi Jaiswal and talking to the young opener until long after it was dark.
Eighteen years and endless memories condensed into little moments in time that have now started to feel fleeting. Rohit is 38. Kohli is 37. They only play one format of cricket and their stature is doing a lot of the work in keeping them in the conversation about the 2027 ODI World Cup. They haven't said it out loud. They're probably trying not to think about it. When Ravi Shastri tried to big them up after their 168-run partnership to beat Australia last month - "two old dogs still had sting in the tail" - Rohit just said "looks like it."
Sachin Tendulkar had his fairytale ending in 2011 because by that time, the team had developed other pillars to lean on. MS Dhoni. Yuvraj Singh. Zaheer Khan. This India and their two legends might enjoy that same leg up in two years, which is where these three ODIs against South Africa could help. They can arm the probables like Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy and even the wild cards like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma and Ruturaj Gaikwad with the experience they'll need under ICC tournament pressure.
To create one final moment in time.