Virat Kohli was the toast of day four of the fourth Test between India and Australia being played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad on March 12, 2023, as he ended his drought of centuries in Test cricket and hit his first ton after 1205 days.
On Saturday, Kohli scored his first Test fifty after 14 months and 15 innings, his longest stretch in the purest format.
Kohli resumed on day 4 on 59 and continued to dig in and play with singles and doubles and went without hitting a single boundary during the first session of the day. He made sure India continued to claw at the lead after Australia posted 480 in the first innings.
He continued while first Ravindra Jadeja (28) and then KS Bharat (44) fell at the other end. Bharat looked in good touch with the bat and was on course for his maiden fifty when he edged a straight delivery to the short leg off the bowling of Nathan Lyon.
He brought up his century with a flick to the leg side off Lyon and celebrated in a mild manner. He raised his bat to acknowledge his teammates and the crowd and kisses his wedding ring which he wears around his neck.
Kohli has had his fair share of troubles in Test cricket since scoring his 27th Test hundred against Bangladesh way back in November 2019 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. It was the first Day-Night Test India played in the history of their Test cricket.
Virat Kohli Goes Past His Best Test Score Of 107 Against Australia At Home
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli, on Sunday, March 12, registered his highest Test score against Australia at home. Back in February 2013, the right-handed batter scored 107 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
This score came 10 years before and Kohli surpassed it in one of his best knocks thus far. This was also his second Test hundred against Australia at home after the one in Chennai.
Kohli continued his good form since scoring his first international century in Asia Cup 2022, which was his maiden T20I ton as well. He then ended his barren run in ODIs, by scoring 3 centuries in 4 ODIs against Bangladesh and New Zealand and now has gone past the 150-run mark as India pressed on the gas pedal to get a substantial lead over Australia.
Also Read: IND vs AUS: Virat Kohli Ends His Century Drought By Bringing Up His 28th Test Ton In Ahmedabad; Twitterverse Goes Berserk