Virat Kohli shunted down the hoodoo of the past three years, and after a gap of over 3 years – 1,206 days to be precise – the 34-year-old hit a Test century – his 28th career Test hundred – by scoring 186 runs in the 4th Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test, in Ahmedabad, on Sunday.
Virat Kohli’s century today, following from the one from Shubman Gill on Saturday, and followed by a terrific knock of 79 from Axar Patel, helped India take a precious 91-run lead, which has all but batted Australia out of the day.
Australian opener Travis Head and Matthew Kuhnemann, who came out as a nightwatchman instead of Khawaja, survived the last 6 overs of the day, scoring only 3 runs. An Australian victory is unlikely from hereon while India will push for a win on Day 5 that will seal their place in the WTC final.
Harsha Bhogle produces a commentary gem on Virat Kohli’s 28th ton
After Virat Kohli reached his so-much-wanted and desired hundred – ending a wait of over 3 years for a Test century of himself and his billion fans – renowned commentator Harsha Bhogle came up with a gem in the commentary box.
Bhogle’s few words encapsulated the frustration and relief of Kohli and his fans over this long wait for a Test century.
“He has a vault full of gold, & he was looking for a sovereign,” Harsha Bhogle was heard speaking on commentary.
This sentence was loved by the fans who hailed Bhogle for his revered wordplay.
"He has a vault full of gold,
& he was looking for a sovereign"@bhogleharsha.. on @imVkohli getting to his hundred,
after a gap of 3 yrs ..— Aditya 💾 (@adisave) March 12, 2023
Speaking about Virat Kohli’s knock, the hallmark of his first hundred runs was his abstinence from playing cover drives – against the turn – to off-spinners Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy. To both the off-spinners, Kohli played mostly with the turn on the leg side, lest he’d edge it to the men waiting for a catch near him.
After his century, the former India skipper became a bit more aggressive and took down the Aussie bowlers, be it pacers or spinners, but he kept his technique intact which allowed to bat for as long as possible without needing to take undue risk.
Eventually, he had to take a risk with tailender Mohammed Shami at the non-striker’s end and with Shreyas Iyer unable to bat due to a back injury, Kohli succumbed to a catch in the deep, ending one of his best Test knocks.
