Finance
Talismanic batsman Virat Kohli produced a magnificent 186 as India took a 91-run lead over Australia after being bowled out for 571 in their first innings during the fourth Test at Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
Australia reached 3/0 in six overs of their second innings at stumps, trailing India by 88 runs with one day remaining in the match. Travis Head and makeshift opener Matthew Kuhnemann, who replaced an injured Usman Khawaja, made all the runs as they navigated the tricky six overs from Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohammed Shami.
If Shubman Gill’s sparkling 128 was the talk of the town on Saturday, it was Kohli’s turn to be the center of attention on on Sunday to break his drought for a Test century which lasted 1025 days, 41 innings and more than three years.
Kohli was simply at his grittiest best during his determined 364-ball stay at the crease, hitting 15 boundaries and running hard for his ones and twos while enthralling a sizable Sunday crowd.
He was also helped by a 44 from KS Bharat and an outstanding 79 from Axar Patel. Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy each took three wickets for Australia, while Mitchell Starc and Matthew Kuhnemann each took one.
India’s first six wicket partnerships totaled more than 50 runs. Kohli did not hit a single boundary in the first session on Sunday. However, from the second session onwards, he hit some fantastic boundaries to give India a comfortable lead, especially with Shreyas Iyer out with a lower back complaint and had to be sent for scans.
Ravindra Jadeja began the day by cutting uppishly against Murphy past slip for four. Jadeja mistimed to mid-on after taking another four through mid-off against Murphy, but it went for a single.
But when he tried to replicate the shot in the final ball of the 107th over, which came a little faster, Jadeja lofted straight into mid-hands on’s off Murphy, capping off a knock in which he was patient for the majority of it.
Bharat came out to bat and got things going with a fantastic slog-sweep for six off Lyon. Lyon, Murphy, and Kuhnemann had some turn available as Australia used 7-2 leg-side fields and spinners bowling tidy spells, such as off and outside off-stump lines, to dry up runs for Kohli and Bharat.
However, whenever a bad ball was thrown, it was hit for a boundary. For example, when Nathan Lyon dropped short, Bharat cracked a cut off backfoot, as Kohli added only 29 runs to his overnight score in the first session.
Following lunch, Australia launched into a short-ball ploy from their pacers. Bharat, on the other hand, dominated Cameron Green with a series of pulled sixes, followed by an elegant cut through deep point on a no-ball.
His excellent cameo ended on 44 when he came forward to defend Nathan Lyon. The off-spinner, on the other hand, got turn and bounce, taking the inside edge to short leg. Lyon’s wicket also moved him past Derek Underwood for the most Test wickets by a visiting bowler in India.
When Kohli reached 99, there was a buzz in the air as spectators pulled out their phones to capture the historic moment. Kohli reached his 75th international century on the second ball of the 139th over, when he came forward against Lyon and played a flick through square leg for a single.
A subdued Kohli removed his helmet and raised the bat to acknowledge the crowd’s applause before kissing his wedding ring and looking to the skies in subdued celebrations of reaching the three-figure mark in Tests.
With the pitch still not looking treacherous, Kohli unleashed an off-drive and a backward square leg off Starc for a pair of boundaries. He switched to spinners, pulling Murphy between backward squares leg and short fine leg while driving on the up against Lyon for another boundary.
Axar also contributed some boundaries, including an effortless loft over a leaping long-off for six off Murphy, which caused Khawaja to limp off the field. He then cut off Kuhnemann through cover for a boundary, putting India in command of the match.
Axar put India ahead in the final session after 3.3 overs by cutting Murphy through backward point for four. When Green returned to the attack, Kohli was quick to respond with a cover-drive to an outside off-stump delivery.
Kohli shuffled across to flick through mid-wicket on the next ball, which was angled into pads. Kohli got a thick edge past the keeper when Green bowled a high full toss, Kohli got a thick edge past keeper for four, before taking a brace of boundaries off Lyon – a delightful pull was followed by a drive through mid-off.
With a single off Murphy, Axar reached his fifty in 95 balls and then attacked Kuhnemann with a big swipe over mid-wicket for six. He then moved across to sweep Murphy through mid-wicket for four runs before slog-sweeping Kuhnemann twice for six runs.
His knock came to an end when he attempted to drive off Starc but was cut on the stumps. Lyon’s third wicket of the match came when he caught Ashwin slog-sweeping to deep midwicket. Umesh Yadav was caught short of the crease at the non-end striker’s by a direct hit from Peter Handscomb in the next over.
Kohli was dropped at 185 after Handscomb attempted to take the catch with both hands while diving but failed. In the following over, Murphy bowled outside off-stump and Kohli went for the slog-sweep, but holed out to deep mid-wicket, bringing an end to India’s innings as well as to Kohli’s wonderful knock.
Brief Scores: Australia 480 in 167.2 overs and 3/0 in six overs trail India 571 in 178.5 overs (Virat Kohli 186, Shubman Gill 128; Todd Murphy 3/113, Nathan Lyon 3/151) by 88 runs
SourceIANS
