Virat Kohli scored his seventh Test century, his second at the Adelaide Oval, as India ended Day Three on 365 for five in response to Australia’s 517 for seven. Australia had declared before the start of day’s play and the Indian batting responded quite confidently to make full use of the helpful batting conditions. While it was majorly India’s day, Kohli’s dismissal minutes before stumps would have given Australia some relief. Had Kohli remained unbeaten, the advantage would have been India’s.
Kohli led India’s challenge through the day by playing a very determined innings. Mitchell Johnson hit him off the first ball he had faced. The ball pinned on the emblem on the helmet. As Kohli took it off, the Australians gathered around him to see if he was fine. Michael Clarke patted Johnson, to soothe him. The recent events had taken a toll on the players’ psyche.
Putting that behind him, Kohli put his head down to construct an important innings. He walked in after Murali Vijay’s 53 had laid a solid platform. The Indian opener was in great form and was using his feet to Nathan Lyon. Both his sixes had come off the spinner. Cheteshwar Pujara also scored a classy 73 with numerous drives on offer. It was about capitalizing on that and the Indian No 4 did the job brilliantly.
The Pujara-Kohli partnership was positive as they punished anything off-line. There was measure and discipline with the way they approached the innings. Both batsmen had struggled in England and needed to make a mark. Pujara looked set for a big one before an enticing duel with Lyon had him bowled. Lyon had bowled a good spell in the middle, purchasing turn and bounce. Later in the day, it was even more profound.
Kohli continued and built a good stand with Rahane. While Kohli was fluent, Rahane was edgy to start with. He played too many risky shots and chased deliveries unnecessarily. However, after tea, the duo took control and scored at a rate exceeding four an over. Rahane got to his fifty off only 61 balls.
Meanwhile, Kohli’s dazzling strokeplay continued. Some of the shots he played through the off-side stood out. Anything a bit straight was flicked through the leg-side. Rahane was dismissed for 62 and Rohit Sharma joined Kohli in the middle.
With the second new ball on, Kohli took on Johnson head on, by smashing a couple of drives for four. He also pulled one over mid-wicket to move closer to that ton. On getting his hundred, Kohli waved his bat, looked at the sky and also dished out a “Come on!” He became the fourth Indian to score a Test century on captaincy debut.
Rohit Sharma joined in late in the day and played some good shots. Lyon kept testing the Indian batsmen through the day, but his wicket of Rahane would stand out as the ball kicked off a length and took his gloves. Rohit too had his troubles but managed to survive through to stumps. Kohli however, fell for 115 as he tried to pull Johnson and was caught in the deep. Wriddhiman Saha battled a rough spell from Johnson at the end to help India finish without further damage.
Brief scores:
Australia 517 for 7 decl. (David Warner 145, Michael Clarke 128, Steven Smith 158*; Varun Aaron 2 for 136, Mohammed Shami 2 for 129, Karn Sharma 2 for 143) lead India 369 for 5 (Murali Vijay 53, Cheteshwar Pujara 73, Virat Kohli 115, Ajinkya Rahane 62; Mitchell Johnson 2 for 90, Nathan Lyon 2 for 103) by 148 runs.
Kohli led India’s challenge through the day by playing a very determined innings. Mitchell Johnson hit him off the first ball he had faced. The ball pinned on the emblem on the helmet. As Kohli took it off, the Australians gathered around him to see if he was fine. Michael Clarke patted Johnson, to soothe him. The recent events had taken a toll on the players’ psyche.
Putting that behind him, Kohli put his head down to construct an important innings. He walked in after Murali Vijay’s 53 had laid a solid platform. The Indian opener was in great form and was using his feet to Nathan Lyon. Both his sixes had come off the spinner. Cheteshwar Pujara also scored a classy 73 with numerous drives on offer. It was about capitalizing on that and the Indian No 4 did the job brilliantly.
The Pujara-Kohli partnership was positive as they punished anything off-line. There was measure and discipline with the way they approached the innings. Both batsmen had struggled in England and needed to make a mark. Pujara looked set for a big one before an enticing duel with Lyon had him bowled. Lyon had bowled a good spell in the middle, purchasing turn and bounce. Later in the day, it was even more profound.
Kohli continued and built a good stand with Rahane. While Kohli was fluent, Rahane was edgy to start with. He played too many risky shots and chased deliveries unnecessarily. However, after tea, the duo took control and scored at a rate exceeding four an over. Rahane got to his fifty off only 61 balls.
Meanwhile, Kohli’s dazzling strokeplay continued. Some of the shots he played through the off-side stood out. Anything a bit straight was flicked through the leg-side. Rahane was dismissed for 62 and Rohit Sharma joined Kohli in the middle.
With the second new ball on, Kohli took on Johnson head on, by smashing a couple of drives for four. He also pulled one over mid-wicket to move closer to that ton. On getting his hundred, Kohli waved his bat, looked at the sky and also dished out a “Come on!” He became the fourth Indian to score a Test century on captaincy debut.
Rohit Sharma joined in late in the day and played some good shots. Lyon kept testing the Indian batsmen through the day, but his wicket of Rahane would stand out as the ball kicked off a length and took his gloves. Rohit too had his troubles but managed to survive through to stumps. Kohli however, fell for 115 as he tried to pull Johnson and was caught in the deep. Wriddhiman Saha battled a rough spell from Johnson at the end to help India finish without further damage.
Brief scores:
Australia 517 for 7 decl. (David Warner 145, Michael Clarke 128, Steven Smith 158*; Varun Aaron 2 for 136, Mohammed Shami 2 for 129, Karn Sharma 2 for 143) lead India 369 for 5 (Murali Vijay 53, Cheteshwar Pujara 73, Virat Kohli 115, Ajinkya Rahane 62; Mitchell Johnson 2 for 90, Nathan Lyon 2 for 103) by 148 runs.
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