Indian captain Virat Kohli scored a maiden Test hundred on English soil on Thursday. The right-hander fought a lone battle as the visitors struggled as a batting unit on Day 2 of the first Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
Kohli got to his hundred off 172 deliveries, his knock at that point was studded with 14 boundaries. This was his 15th Test century as captain and 22nd overall. He was the last man to be dismmised and ended with 149 off 255 deliveries. India got all-out for 274, trailing England by 13 runs in the first innings.
At one point, it looked like India would concede a massive lead as they were reduced to 182/8 and then 217/9. But pacers Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav did well to hang in and support Kohli from the other end, this enabled India to come right back into the match.
India, after bowling England out for 287 earlier, never found their footing with the bat. Barring Kohli, who himself enjoyed three dropped chances, no other batsman managed to make a mark.
Kohli came into this five-match series under considerable pressure. He'd averaged under 14 the last time India toured England for a Test series. The 29-year-old's celebration after getting to his milestone said a lot about what his ton meant to him. He roared in happiness and removed his wedding ring, which was hanging on his neck, to kiss it.
Kohli enjoyed quite a bit of luck during his knock. The talismanic leader saw as many as three edges off his bat get dropped in the English slip cordon. Not just that, he even had several edges drop just short of the catching fielders behind the stumps.
Kohli could be satisfied with his performance on Thursday, but his batting proved he hasn't sorted out his outside-off-stump woes against the moving ball. It was this very problem that saw him suffer a horror series the last time India toured England. He got lucky during this knock, but could easily not be the case going forward in this five-match series.
