Vizag Test: Virat Kohli’s batting reaches another level of brilliance vs England
Virat Kohli’s batting has reached another level after taking over the Test captaincy from MS Dhoni in 2015.
Test captaincy can take a toll on the form of a batsman. Burdened with the duties of being skipper, a batsman tends to lose focus and form. It is not the case with Virat Kohli, who is scoring runs in all formats just for fun. (UPDATES)
In the second Test against England in Vizag, he finally broke his jinx by registering his second century against them and 14th overall. On the third and fourth day, with the pitch deteriorating and run-making becoming extremely difficult, Kohli stood head and shoulders above the rest by slamming a magnificent 81, helping India’s lead go past 400. (SCORECARD)
This has been a magnificent Test match for Kohli. Not only he has captained well, with the bat, he notched up 200 runs in total for the match. However, this feat has put him in an elite club of Indian batsmen.
Kohli has achieved the distinction of scoring over a total of 200 runs in Tests as captain a total of four times, which is the most-ever by an Indian skipper. Earlier, former Indian captains Sunil Gavaskar and MAK Pataudi had held the record for scoring a total of 200 runs in a match twice.
The more remarkable thing about Kohli’s performances since captain is that he has achieved this feat four times in the last one year. His first instance was in Adelaide when he almost took India to a famous win. He followed it up with his first double century against West Indies in North Sound in 2016 while he smashed 211 runs in the Indore Test against New Zealand, making him the first Indian captain to achieve the feat of scoring two double tons as skipper.
* Virat Kohli’s stats are after the end of his second innings in the Vizag Test against England. Alastair Cook’s numbers have been updated after the end of the fourth day in Vizag.
In the past one year, Kohli has been in magnificent form as Test captain. His record is only bettered by Alastair Cook, the England skipper who has also performed consistently. If one looks at the average, Australia’s Steven Smith is higher than Kohli. If one has to look at century conversions, then Kohli stands on top of the pile with just three fifties but five centuries.