Virat Kohli celebrates after reaching his century. (Source: Reuters)
India captain Virat Kohli smashed his first hundred on English soil in Test cricket on Thursday. Laying the horrors of the 2014 series to rest, Kohli batted with grit and patience to bring up his 100 in 172 balls during the second day of the first Test at Edgbaston. After reaching the three-figure mark, Kohli celebrated with gusto by raising his bat and then kissing his ring-necklace.
Kohli reached his 22nd Test ton with a slice over the point region in the 65th over of India’s innings. Kohli’s fantastic innings was also laced with 16 beautiful boundaries. However, the Indian skipper who came in to bat at number four also survived two dropped chances. Making most of those chances he made the English bowlers pay and in the context of this series, his knock is invaluable.
Test bowling at its best .. Test Batting at its Best from @imVkohli .. These last 2 days have given us all a reminder why it’s the best format by a country mile … #ENGvIND
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) 2 August 2018
Kohli is widely regarded as one of the best stroke players in the world but his knock at Edgbaston was not about playing strokes as he left more than 40 balls alone.
Meanwhile, in the list of most hundreds as a Test captain Kohli is now third on the list with 15. Graeme Smith leads the tally with 25, Ricky Ponting is next with 19.