XtraTime Web Desk: It was a special innings by Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli as he scored his maiden hundred on English soil to pull his team out of a tricky situation on Day 2 of the first Test against England at Edgbaston on Sunday. With wickets tumbling on the other end, Kohli kept his calm and stitched important partnerships with the tail-enders to score 149 as India posted 274 in their first innings.
It was a knock that earned Kohli a lot of admiration from both fans and experts alike, but the flamboyant batsman believes that it is still not his favourite Test innings.
“This knock comes second to Adelaide. The Adelaide knock remains very special to me because it was in the second innings and we were chasing a target. I had total clarity that we were going for the target and not once did I think that I will not go for the chase,” Kohli told BCCI in an interview.
It was Kohli’s first Test as skipper and he scored 115 in the first innings as India posted 444 in response to Australia’s 517 and in the second innings, the visitors were given a target of 364 in 98 overs.
Most teams would have gone for the draw, but Kohli decided to attack and along with Murali Vijay, the skipper put together a partnership of 185. At the end of the day, India were unable to complete the chase but Virat Kohli’s 141 was a clear indication of his brand of aggressive cricket.
On Thursday, Kohli was once again asked to perform under immense pressure and the captain cleared the test with flying colours. He kept his composure against the England bowling attack and along with the last three batsmen, he added 105 runs to take the team with striking distance of England’s total.
“I have to commend the tail as well. Hardik batted well after we lose five wickets and the way Umesh and Ishant applied themselves, I think it was an outstanding effort from them also and I have to give a lot of credit to them to get us so close because they stuck in there and they gave me the support.”
With scores of 1, 8, 25, 0, 39, 28, 0, 7, 6 and 20 in the five Tests of the England Tour 2014, Kohli was at the centre of a lot of speculations. But, he proved all the critics wrong with his impressive knock on a challenging Edgbaston pitch and he said that he is not bothered by what the world has to say about his batting.
“It wasn’t just about getting to the three figure mark but to continue from there on. I was very disappointed when I got out because we could have taken a 10-15 run lead. But, in hindsight, we won’t have bowled tonight then. I am happy with what God has blessed on me. I am happy with my preparation,” he said with a smile.