Emotional Virat Kohli sparks huge celebrations with first Test century for three years

12.03.2023 - 18:11 thenationalnews.com

Indian superstar Virat Kohli claimed his first Test century in more than three years on Sunday, sparking raucous celebrations at the world's biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.

Kohli admitted last year to mental health struggles as his magic with the bat deserted him and he also lost the Indian captaincy, one of the most high-pressure jobs in world sport.

But on Sunday, having already returned to form with ODI and T20 centuries in recent months, the long wait for his 28th Test ton ended in the fourth Test against Australia.

Resuming on 59 after reaching his first Test half-century on Saturday since January 2022, the landmark came after a patient innings of 241 balls as he eased Nathan Lyon for a single.

cricket Sporting bowling Test first test Nathan Lyon Steve Smith Michael Vaughan Ravi Shastri Australia India Ahmedabad

After a wait of 1205 days, Virat Kohli this month finally registered a Test century, bringing up three figures in the fourth and final game against Australia in Ahmedabad. It was the 28th Test century for the batting star and his 75th in international cricket. There was a gap of 41 innings between his last century and this one, with the previous one coming over three years ago against Bangladesh in November 2019. As the 34-year-old battled through his lean patch and returned to his vintage form, many former cricketers and analysts are showing the belief that he will surpass cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar's mighty record of 100 international tons.

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Hardik Pandya is back to his best as an all-rounder. The star has been contributing both with the bat and ball in the limited overs formats. He has also been regularly leading the team in the T20Is. He was also the stand-in captain in the first ODI against Australia. On Wednesday, Pandya once again proved to be quite a handful with the ball as he took three wickets in three overs. With Australia in full flow, reaching 61/0 in 10 overs, Pandya came to India's rescue. He got the wickets of Travis Head (33), Steve Smith (0) and Mitchell Marsh (47) in the 11th, 13th and 15th overs respectively.

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India fell in a tricky spot in the first ODI against Australia in Mumbai on Friday, but a responsible 108*-run stand between KL Rahul (75*) and Ravindra Jadeja (45*) saw the hosts chase down a 189-run target in 39.5 overs, despite being 39/4 at one stage. India were being led by Hardik Pandya in the match with Rohit Sharma missing the game due to a personal commitment. Pandya took the crucial wicket of Steve Smith and then scored a crucial 25 off 31 balls after the Indian top-order had faltered. There was point in his innings when he faced a free-hit delivery from Marcus Stoinis in the 18th over.

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Fitness is much more than just a word for star India player Virat Kohli. A Delhi-born boy, fond of chole bhature, not only sacrificed his love for the food to be superfit, but also took his training to the next level to set a benchmark for fitness. All those efforts seem to have paid off when the batter runs across the pitch to easily convert a single into a double, and at times, the twos into threes. A similar kind of agility is seen when Kohli is fielding on the ground.

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Virat Kohli struck his 28th century in the longest format during the fourth Test between India and Australia on Sunday. This ton was a special one as it came after a long wait of 3.5 years and was Kohli's 75th international century. He had last touched the triple figures in Tests in November 2019 against Bangladesh. Kohli's fiery hundred guided Team India to a total of 571 on Day 4 of the fourth Test, which eventually ended in a draw on Monday. The right-handed batter has been receiving a lot of praise from fans as well as former cricketers.

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Star India batter Virat Kohli was on top of his powers in the fourth Test against Australia, which ended in a stalemate on Monday. Kohli looked in his element during the entire high-scoring encounter and scored his 28th Test century. It was Kohli's first century in the format after a gap of more than three years. Kohli's marathon 186-run knock guided India to a massive 1st innings total of 571, and was named 'Man of the Match' for his efforts.