India bounced back into contention in the five-match series against England as they inflicted a mammoth 203-run defeat on the hosts in the third Test at Trent Bridge.
The visitors made up for the disappointment of their reversals at Edgbaston and Lord’s and now trail 2-1 in the series with two Tests remaining.
One man has shone above all at Trent Bridge and that is India skipper Virat Kohli. The stylish right-hander struck 97 in the first innings before following it up with a 103 in the second.
Here, we take a closer look at his performance in the Test.
STATISTICS
FIRST INNINGS
RUNS: 97
BALLS: 152
BOUNDARIES: 11
SIXES: 0
STRIKE-RATE: 63.81
SECOND INNINGS
RUNS: 103
BALLS: 197
BOUNDARIES: 10
SIXES: 0
STRIKE-RATE: 52.28
30-SECOND REPORT
The India skipper was the man of the match with a total of 200 runs combined in the two innings. He made up for the disappointment of missing out on a century first time around by slamming his 23rd Test ton in the second to move level with Steve Smith.
His 159-run stand with Ajinkya Rahane in the first innings also paved the way for India’s challenging total and he made sure that the visitors seized the initiative with his 103-run knock to give the tourists a commanding lead. Kohli led by example in the field and showcased his athleticism by pulling off a spectacular catch in the slip cordon to dismiss Ollie Pope in England’s second innings.
This guy @imVkohli continues to show his brilliance, thrives in adversity with breathtaking skill. We will continue to look in awe as he dominates around the world. 💯 #ENGvIND
— Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) August 20, 2018
GOT RIGHT
India were in danger of repeating their batting failures from the first two Tests when they lost three wickets in quick succession on day one. However, a determined Kohli ensured mitigated that possibility through an uncharacteristically dogged innings.
The 29-year-old curbed his free-flowing stroke-play, especially against James Anderson to whom he has not been dismissed by in this series so far. He had the rub of the green in getting to his century in the second innings when batting on 93 as Keaton Jennings dropping a chance at slip off the bowling of Anderson but a 23rd ton was just reward for his perseverance and determination.
Any one (especially young professional batsmen) who want to know how to bat in a test match, watch Virat Kohli’s test century today. Not the highlights, they don’t show how he left the ball, & played defensively, for they were the cornerstone of his innings.
— Graemefowler (@GFoxyFowler) August 20, 2018
GOT WRONG
There is barely any fault that can be found in Kohli the batsman currently but there were a few captaincy decisions which he could have played better. He kept Ishant Sharma away from the new ball in the first innings opting to instead open the bowling with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.
He did make amends in the second innings by throwing the new ball to Ishant. He will be angry with himself for his lapse in concentration in the first innings where he once again threw away his wicket to Adil Rashid while being extremely cavalier against the England leg-spinner.
VERDICT – 9/10
Kohli is looking like a batsman very much at the prime of his game as he continues to breach new landmarks. Having seen India’s batting failures from close hand in the series, the skipper has taken it upon himself to lead from the front and how! Backing up his Edgbaston display with another Herculean performance, Kohli has well and truly banished the demons of his disastrous 2014 tour.
With Kohli batting like a man possessed, the rest of the Indian batsmen are beginning to take a cue from his game and it has reflected in a vastly improved collective batting performance. The Delhi-born star’s hunger for runs shows no signs of stopping having gone past 400 runs in the series and there could be more milestones breached by the superstar in the remaining two Tests at this rate.
He is no question at all the best player in the world ... @imVkohli ... #100 #ENGvIND
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) August 20, 2018
