The records continued to tumble with Virat Kohli at the crease as the India captain smashed his seventh double hundred as India ran South Africa into the ground on day two of the second Test in Pune.
There was no respite for the South African bowlers at the MCA stadium after opener Mayank Agarwal starred with a sparkling hundred on day one. Kohli was happy to play second fiddle during that partnership. But, after shifting gears in the final session on day one, the second day saw him move into a different zone and attack the bowlers with ease.
The Indian skipper was severe on the spinners after seeing off the threat of Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada.
Kohli’s muted celebrations after completing his double hundred perhaps summed up how much of a regular feature this has been. Kohli, who will turn 31 next month, has now reached the double-century mark in Tests more than any Indian batsman in the history of the game.
At the rate at which he is going, it would take a brave man to bet against him beating Sir Don Bradman’s all-time record of 12 double hundreds.
And soon after getting a reprieve (was dismissed by Senuran Muthusamy off a no-ball) Kohli turned on the aggression to reach his highest Test score. His previous best was 243 against Sri Lanka in 2017.
Here is how Twitter lauded Kohli after his stupendous innings:
And wouldn’t you know it, there was a Jofra Archer tweet from the past to mark the occasion:
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!