Virat Kohli’s ever-growing list of admirers has one more name to it, and the latest one is none other than Johan Botha.
The former South Africa spinner took to Twitter to laud the India skipper after being impressed by his attitude in the final session of the second day’s play in the ongoing Test against Sri Lanka. The incident had taken place in the 88th over when Kohli stole a single after Cheteshwar Pujara failed to make contact with a Suranga Lakmal’s delivery and it went behind the stumps.
However, Niroshan Dickwella failed to grab the ball cleanly, and it was enough for Kohli to steal a single.
Impressed by that attitude, Botha called Kohli the best at the moment by far, as he tweeted:
“Kohli the best at the moment by far, intensity & passion… game changes immediately- running a bye to keeper session 3 day 2. @imVkohli ??”
Kohli the best at the moment by far, intensity & passion… game changes immediately- running a bye to keeper session 3 day 2. @imVkohli ??
— johan botha (@johan_botha) November 25, 2017
Meanwhile, Kohli did not take long to justify Botha, as he slammed his 19th Test hundred and broke a few more records.The century was his tenth this year, and it made him the captain with most hundreds in a calendar year.
The record was previously held by Ricky Ponting and Graeme Smith who had scored nine hundred in a calendar year. Ponting had managed the feat on two occasions in consecutive years, in 2005 and 2006 while Smith did it in 2005.
Kohli, who had also scored four double centuries in as many series during the last season, also went past the legendary Sunil Gavaskar to become the India skipper with most Test centuries. Kohli has now scored 12 Test hundreds as a skipper while Gavaskar had scored 11.
Most 100s by Indian captains in Tests
12 VIRAT KOHLI
11 Sunil Gavaskar
9 Mohammad Azharuddin
7 Sachin Tendulkar
5 Tiger Pataudi / Sourav Ganguly / MS Dhoni#INDvSL #INDvsSL— Rajneesh Gupta (@rgcricket) November 26, 2017
(IND vs SL 2017, 2nd Test, Day 3: Virat, Pujara Enter Record Books in Nagpur)