Virat Kohli raised his bat in whites for India after a long gap of 1025 days. He removed his helmet, raised the bat, and kissed the wedding ring with a beaming smile on his face. This was a very sedate celebration by Kohli who looks at life differently since his comeback to form.
He was seen joking around with most of the Australian members which were unlikely in the past where Virat Kohli was constantly chirping in their ears or stare at the opposition. But now Kohli was constantly chatting with Lyon and Labuschange in between overs, having a wry smile at the bowler after a close miss. Many people would not have predicted that the bromance between Virat Kohli and Nathan Lyon would develop to the extent that it has as the series has gone on. They simply couldn’t stop chatting and making fun of one another. On the second morning of the test match, Virat Kohli had been enjoying himself by imitating Cameron Green’s lengthy routine on the side of the pitch before he takes a strike.Â
This refreshed and the new version of Virat Kohli reflected in his patient knock of 186. He was very calm and relaxed at the crease enjoying each moment on the ground. Apart from the 4 balls he faced at the start of the innings before tea, Virat looked untroubled throughout the innings.
This was not a typical Kohli knock filled with breathtaking strokes or taking on the opposition. Rather, this was an innings of mental fortitude, extreme patience, and resilience. For all the hard work done by him in the nets, he was determined to cash in on the start by not throwing it away. He was ready to grind hard for the team, for himself, and for his fans. Anushka Sharma, wife of Kohli later posted a story on Instagram saying that the batter scored mammoth innings despite not feeling well.
Grinding Hard
Kohli was determined to get a big one and was very happy to let the bowlers have an upper hand in certain situations. In the first session, Australia was bowling tight lengths with a 2-7 field set by Steve Smith against Nathon Lyon. But the Indian batter played only 2 balls to the offside against the off-spinners. The batter did not hit a single boundary in the first session while he relied on nudging the ball into the gaps and rotating the strike.
He slowly kept the scoreboard ticking on a slow deck where runs scoring was not easy. He occasionally attacked the fast bowlers but was extremely patient against the spinners. The Indian superstar was never hurried by the milestone as he was very cautious against the highly disciplined bowling attack. He brought about his 75th International hundred and (28th in tests) in 241 balls, which was his second-slowest hundred in test match cricket.
He played more fluently as the day progressed especially after reaching the milestone. Kohli unleashed himself and freed himself up after getting the monkey off his back. But still, he was not at all reckless, with a huge trail behind him. Kohli scored his next 86 runs in just 123 balls. He was eventually lost out of partners otherwise he could have easily scored the eighth double hundred of his career. Kohli was eventually dismissed on 186 by Murphy who took his wicket as the tried to slog sweep the ball where Labuschange completed the catch. All the Australian players walked in to congratulate Kohli for his monumental effort against his ‘favorite’ opposition.
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