New Delhi:
Virat Kohli continued to notch up milestones after milestones in the Pune Test against South Africa. After notching up his seventh double ton, 19th as skipper and also went past 7000 runs in Tests, he clobbered Dean Elgar over wide long on to notch up his 250 and register his highest individual score in Tests. In the third session, both he and Ravindra Jadeja scored at over 10 runs an over and Kohli was especially severe on Keshav Maharaj, hammering him for two sixes while finding the boundary on a regular basis of the other bowlers. He went past Sachin Tendulkar's highest individual score of 248 which he made against Bangladesh in 2004.
This was Kohli's 50th Test as Indian skipper and this was his ninth 150-plus score as captain, breaking the record set by Sir Don Bradman who had smashed eight. Kohli has scored a century in 11 different venues in India and his 19th century as captain levelled the mark set by Ricky Ponting of Australia. The Indian skipper raised the tempo in the second session as he played risk-free cricket and made great progress.
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The Indian cricket team skipper notched up his double century by glancing Senuran Muthusamy for a couple to fine leg . He now has the most double centuries in Test cricket for an Indian, breaking the record of six set jointly by Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag.
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Kohli is the only skipper in history to have hit seven double centuries as captain, breaking the mark of five set by Brian Lara. This was his sixth double century in India, having smashed 200 against West Indies in North Sound during the 2016 series. During the course of his knock, he also went past 1000 runs in Tests against South Africa. As captain, Kohli averages 63 and at home, his average is close to 68. He has 12 tons in India while overseas, he has 14 centuries.
When he edged Keshav Maharaj for two fours in one over, Kohli notched up his 150. Kohli then edged Maharaj for the third time in two overs and he found the third man boundary. That four took him past his previous highest score against South Africa which was 153 which he achieved during the 2018 Centurion Test.
Earlier, Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane had weathered the storm on an overcast evening session on day 1 but Kohli showed his mettle to negotiate the bowling. He notched up his fifty with two boundaries off Vernon Philander as he remained unbeaten on 63. Resuming on day 2, Kohli had his fair share of luck. He edged a full ball from Philander but it just flew past Quinton de Kock for a boundary. Kohli, though, had no problems negotiating the nervous 90s as he notched up a magnificent century by straight driving Philander to the long on fence for a glorious boundary.
