Virat Kohli hits first century since 2019 as India take charge against Australia

12.03.2023 - 17:21 theguardian.com

Virat Kohli scored his first Test century since 2019 as India posted 571 on day four of the fourth Test against Australia. Kohli’s 186 and Shubman Gill’s 128 helped India establish a 91-run lead against the visitors, who were bowled out for 480 in their first innings.

Kohli resumed the penultimate day on 59 not out and went on to hit his first hundred since November 2019, where he scored 136 against Bangladesh.

Working alongside Axar Patel, the pair put on a sixth-wicket partnership of 162 before Patel was bowled by Mitchell Starc and Australia then quickly took the wickets of Ravichandran Ashwin and Umesh Yadav.

Kohli’s chances of a double ton were then cut short, however, and he departed 14 runs short of 200 after being caught by Marnus Labuschagne off Todd Murphy.

cricket bowling as Mitchell Starc Todd Murphy Australia India Bangladesh

Team India suffered a forgetful 10-wicket defeat against Australia in the second ODI on Sunday in Visakhapatnam. Asked to bat first, the likes of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and others miserably failed to leave a mark as the hosts were bundled out for 117. Mitchell Starc was the pick among the bowlers as the pacer achieved his ninth five-wicket haul. Later, the visitors made a mockery of the target with the openers Travis Head (51*) and Mitchell Marsh (66*) remaining unbeaten, taking their side across the line in just 11 overs.

"He Knows That...": Sunil Gavaskar's Brutal Verdict On Virat Kohli After Dismissal In 2nd ODI vs Australia

Virat Kohli on Sunday once again became a victim of LBW dismissal. The batter was dismissed for 31 runs on the bowling of Nathan Ellis as he missed his flick down the leg side in the second ODI against Australia in Visakhapatnam. His mode of dismissal was similar to that in the first ODI in which a Mitchell Starc delivery hit him on the pad and he had to depart for four runs. Former India captain and batter Sunil Gavaskar was unhappy over the fact that Kohli made the same mistake of playing across the line in the second ODI as well.

Watch: Virat Kohli Disappointed As Suryakumar Yadav Falls In Same Way As 1st ODI

Mitchell Starc was at his best on Sunday as he helped Australia dominate the second ODI against India at YS Raja Reddy Stadium in Visakhapatnam. In the swing-friendly conditions, Australia skipper Steve Smith won the toss and opted to bowl first. India failed to get off to a good start as left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc dismissed Shubman Gill on the third ball of the first over. Before India could make a recovery, Starc also got the wicket of Rohit Sharma to put the hosts in more trouble. The misery did not end for India as Starc dismissed Suryakumar Yadav on the very next ball. What was interesting to note was the fact that the type of dismissal was the same as the India batter fell to the left-arm pacer in the first ODI.

Virat Kohli "Will Have To...": Ex-Pakistan Star Warns Of This Pace Threat In WTC Final

Australia left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc was all over India's top-order in the first ODI at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday. Starc returned figures of 3/49, dismissing Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav off consecutive deliveries. Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria highlighted Kohli's dismissal off Starc's delivery, and fired a warning bell for the star batter. Kaneria suggested that Kohli's struggles against left-arm pacers could haunt him at the World Test Championship (WTC) final, where India are scheduled to play Australia in June.

Venkatesh Prasad Praises KL Rahul After Fifty Against Australia. Twitter Can't Stay Calm

Former Indian cricket team fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad was extremely critical of KL Rahul when the batsmen failed to perform in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, Prasad took to social media on Friday to shower praises on Rahul after he guided India to victory with a solid 75-run knock in the first ODI encounter. “Excellent composure under pressure and a brilliant innings by KL Rahul. Top knock. Great support by Ravindra Jadeja and a good win for India. #INDvAUS,” he tweeted. The tweet quickly went viral on Twitter and cricket fans did not miss the opportunity to come up hilarious comments and memes about the change in Prasad's stance.

Watch: Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill's Bromance While Fielding During 4th Test Against Australia

Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill were in the spotlight during India's innings in the ongoing fourth and final Test match against Australia. While the rising star Gill shone with his 128-run knock at the start of the innings, the batting veteran Kohli raced to his 28th Test century (186 runs) -- a hundred in the format after more than three years. Both the batters used the friendly conditions at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad beautifully to their advantage. The duo, however, is also being talked about due to a bromance video that has gone viral on the internet.