Data check: With a bit of luck, Virat Kohli exorcises demons of 2014 England tour

In what became a one-man batting masterclass, Virat Kohli more than doubled his run haul on English soil in the first Test at Edgbaston on Thursday.

With a gritty – and lucky – 149 runs scored off 220 balls, the Indian captain exorcised the demons of a dismal 2014 tour where he scored 134 runs over five matches. With a century in the opening match, Kohli turned the tables on the Englishmen.

Kohli was booed as he walked in at number four at Edgbaston, but he walked out with 149 runs under his belt. The score was his fourth highest playing away from India and arguably one of his grittiest ever.

Kohli also batted at a relatively slower strike rate. His overall strike rate over the course of the innings was 66, which was considerably higher than when he was playing out James Anderson in the early part of the innings.

But notably, Kohli’s century wasn’t just about his grit, it also prolonged the Indian innings. The last two wickets added 92 runs between them. Kohli successfully farmed the strike with Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma making sure India got within striking distance of England’s first innings score.

Kohli’s century is also special in another way. He’s only the second Indian to score a century at Edgbaston and now has the highest score by an Indian batsman at the ground. The man he beat? Sachin Tendulkar.