A Virat Kohli cautious to a fault, leaving deliveries and offering the dead bat isn’t a common sight on the cricket field. He’s usually the aggressor, the one who dictates the terms and sets the pace for the rest.
On Monday at Trent Bridge, Kohli produced yet another Test century. Well, he can’t stop scoring them. But, the manner in which he went about it was most impressive. The proverbial intent to dominate the opposition was given the day off and the right-hand batsman, instead, chose to grind out a sublime knock.
The objective was clear, stretch the lead but also play for time with plenty of cricket still left in the match. Conditions, while not as bad as in the previous Tests, were still tilted in favour of the bowlers. The pitch was dry but provided considerable bite for the bowlers who were prepared to pitch it in the right spot.
Kohli led the way as he adjusted to the match situation. He not only grinded out a stellar knock, but shared another crucial stand - this time with Cheteshwar Pujara (72). The duo added 113 runs for the third wicket before Kohli himself reach the three-figure mark for the 23rd time in Test cricket.
Kohli cannot stop scoring. After a 97 in the first innings, he went one better in the second essay as scored a brilliant knock of 103 in 197 deliveries at a strike-rate of 52.28 - conservative by Kohli standards.
He was dropped in the slips just before reaching the milestone, but by then he had given a good account of himself and his ability to make a mental adjustment. The knock helped India declare on 352/7 and helped them set England a daunting total of 521 to win the third Test.
But, it was a day when Kohli proved that conditions and situation don’t matter to him. The Indian skipper showed through the knock that he can always find ways to keep the runs flowing but he doesn’t mind slowing things down while keeping the bigger picture in mind. The runs might come at a slower pace, but he always strives to make it count.
He left a lot more deliveries, choosing to attack only the loose deliveries. It’s not to say England did not get him to play a few false shots, the 29-year-old was challenged a number of times, especially by pacer James Anderson, but the rub of the green went his way. Unfortunately for England, it meant that Kohli, after settling down following the tricky settling down period, asserted himself as the day progress.
Kohli and Pujara tired out the pacers. After keeping them at bay in their initial spells, the batsmen began going for the odd attacking shot only late in the day. The first session, in fact, was eerily quiet for India despite decent batting conditions. Just 70 runs were scored in the period.
Kohli did not push for the twos or even think of threes. Pujara finally got the time to settle down and assert himself. This was intent of a different kind – one that Pujara was definitely more comfortable with. The match situation suited him the most. The swing on offer for the bowlers was limited.
In fact, it was one those rare occasions when they operated in large parts with similar strike rates.
The English bowlers adopted a disciplined line and length to both batsmen. It was to the credit of the duo that they stuck it out and didn’t give England a whiff. Kohli was calculative and took no risk at all. The situation didn’t demand his natural “dominate the bowlers” approach. He dug deep and led the way.
The dropped catch by Jennings, notwithstanding, it was a knock that once again highlighted the sheer class of his batsmanship. For a change this uncharacteristic ton is all set to come in a winning cause, a result which they desperately want to grind out.
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