Virat Kohli plays a glorious cover drive off Mitchell Starc

India skipper Virat Kohli looked in ominous form when he came out to bat in the second innings of the first Test against Australia in Adelaide. The right-handed batsman had a rare failure in the first innings, falling for just three. He was determined to make amends for it and looked in menacing touch. Kohli joined Cheteshwar Pujara in the middle after openers KL Rahul and Murali Vijay gave India a solid start.

Rahul and Vijay had shared 63 runs for the first wicket to set the tone for the rest of the innings. And he looked in his elements right from the time he came to crease. Mixing caution with aggression, he proved to be an ideal second fiddle for the ever-dependable Pujara.

However, just when it looked like Kohli had his eyes set, he offered an easy catch to Aaron Finch at short leg. Prior to that, the Indian skipper had played some delightful shots and the best of the lot was arguably the four he hit off Mitchell Starc’s bowling in the 53rd over. The Australia pace spearhead bowled a fuller and wider delivery. The ball was there to be hit and Kohli duly obliged as he unveiled a stunning drive through extra cover.

It was slightly overpitched and with an open space on the off-side it was an invitation for Virat who likes to stamp his authority on the bowler with a drive. He has perfected it so much so that most people haven’t seen someone do it better than this man. He was ready for it and the shot just flowed out of his bat, the head was in perfect position, he had the ball under his eyes till it made contact and it raced between the fielders to the cover fence.

Here is a video of the shot:

‘India on top’

Despite losing their skipper at the fag end of the day, India finished day three well on top. The visitors were 151 for 3 at stumps with an overall lead extending to 166. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were at the crease at the close of the day. 

Meanwhile, Nathan Lyon also became one of the most successful bowlers against Kohli in Tests. Lyon sent back Kohli to the pavilion, dismissing him for 34. In the process, the Aussie spinner became the first bowler to scalp Kohli’s prized wicket for the sixth time in Test cricket.

~Written by Bijoy

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