Fourth Test: Virat Kohli scores another hundred in battle of two captains
A case of ‘anything you can do, I can do better’ says former England batsman, Mark Butcher
Thursday 8 January 2015 10:24, UK
Virat Kohli scored his fourth century of the series, equalling Steve Smith’s, on day three of the fourth Test against Australia in Sydney.
Kohli finished the day unbeaten on 140, becoming only the second Indian batsman to score four hundreds in a series - with Sunil Gavaskar who did it twice - as India closed on 342-5, still trailing by 230 runs,
“It’s such a joy to watch him,” said Butcher. “There are players who will go out there, gather runs through crease occupation, nudging it and nurdling it around.
“But he goes out there and makes his runs in a style and a manner that everyone who’s played the game would love to play in - he’s mentally tough, technically sound and has a touch of flair.
“He’s still got an awful lot to do in this Test match but let’s not forget, this India side have lost a lot of very senior players - he has now been handed the mantle to perhaps give them a bit more steel and what better way to do it than lead completely from the front."
Record-breaking
Kohli has found himself in a record-breaking battle with his opposing captain, Smith, during the series - with both scoring over 600 runs - and Kohli added another couple to his tally, passing the total for the most runs scored by an Indian in a series in Australia with this innings.
He also became the first captain ever to score centuries in his first three innings as captain (having scored two in leading the side in the first match of the series in Adelaide).
Kohli's form in the series is in stark contrast to his 2014 summer in England where he managed only 134 runs across five Tests, with a top score of 39.
Live Test Cricket
“Anybody who saw him in England would have wondered what all the fuss was about,” said Butcher. “But here in this innings we’ve seen exactly the sort of quality player he is.
“It has been a tale of two captains. It’s almost like saying ‘in your face, Steve Smith’ – we were all talking about the records tumbling to him – but he has played magnificently in his own right.”
And Kohli’s approach on the tour has reminded Butcher of a former team-mate’s on a trip to Australia in 2002/03.
“He’s got up the nose of the Australian public,” he said. “It’s similar to Michael Vaughan’s series in Australia (633 runs in the series at an average of 63.30) where he did exactly the same thing.
“He took on the bowlers – the likes of Glenn McGrath and Stuart MacGill in that series – and it paid dividends for him.”
Watch day four of the fourth and final Test between Australia and India live on Sky Sports 2 from 11.30pm.
