As Virat Kohli ended his century drought in the fourth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar had nothing but praise for the Indian captain’s exceptional batting prowess. Gavaskar pointed out that Kohli’s hundred was not just a much-needed milestone, but a testament to the fact that the modern-day great was always in top form.
Virat Kohli scored an impressive 186 runs off 364 deliveries, leading India to a mammoth 571 in their first innings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. This was in response to Australia’s first-innings score of 480. Despite a valiant effort by the visitors, India ended up winning the series 2-1.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Gavaskar highlighted how Kohli had been batting consistently well, even during his two-and-a-half-year century drought, scoring seven or eight fifties in the process. He pointed out that Kohli was simply getting out on his first mistake, rather than being out of form.
Gavaskar praised Kohli’s perfect pacing of his innings, which he believed was constructed just like a Test match century should be. Kohli started off slowly, taking his time to figure out the pitch and the bowling, before playing a few shots after getting set and trying to play even more shots after reaching his century.
The former Indian skipper also commented on Kohli’s determination to succeed, noting that he hit just five fours in his first 100 runs. Gavaskar praised Kohli’s grit and determination, explaining that he knew that India had to reach close to Australia’s score of 480 and therefore paced his innings accordingly.
Kohli missed out on a double century by just 14 runs, but his hundred was crucial in giving India a 91-run first-innings lead. The Indian captain drew inspiration from the centuries scored by Usman Khawaja, Cameron Green, and Shubman Gill, and ensured that India got into a dominant position.