THE TWO MUSKETEERS
Kohli announces his arrival as skipper with his 27th ODI ton as India chase down 350
Virat Kohli (122) and his teammate Kedar Jadhav (120) put on 200 runs for the fifth wicket to guide India to a three-wicket win over England in the Ist ODI in Pune on Sunday.
Virat Kohli sparkles when it comes to run chases. And captaincy has a special effect on him. Sunday was no different after Kohli took over as India’s limited-overs captain from Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Virat Kohli’s masterly 122 off 105 balls and local-boy Kedar Jadhav’s 76-ball 120 (12x4s, 4x6s), backed by the vociferous crowd, helped India pull off a thrilling three-wicket victory after being in serious trouble. India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
In his first Test as stand-in captain on the 2014 tour to Australia, Kohli smashed 115 and 141 at Adelaide. When he officially took over as Test captain in Sydney, he slammed 147. And he made sure India’s didn’t falter in his first match after taking over as ODI skipper.
England piled up 350 for seven after Virat Kohli asked them to bat first. India finished on 356 for seven in 48.1 overs, achieving the second highest run chase by India in ODIs.
KOHLI’S RECORD INTACT
The win kept Virat Kohli’s record of not losing a single match on home soil intact. What made the chase an epic affair was Kohli and Jadhav both suffered cramp, but ensured they brought India within touching distance of what seemed an unlikley win.
The visitors posted 350/7, their highest ever ODI total in India in the first game of the three-match series at the MCA Stadium.
However, at 63 for four with Yuvraj Singh (15) and MS Dhoni (6) both out, hopes of chasing a mammoth total was fading.
KOHLI’S ROUSING START
But till Virat Kohli was in the middle, he kept the hope alive. Despite the loss of early wickets, Kohli did not alter his approach. Not the one to regularly go for sixes, Kohli’s first scoring shot was a six off paceman David Willey over long on.
With a flat six, Kohli brought up his 17th century in ODI chases. Overall it was his 27th. But there was no celebration on reaching the landmark.
Virat Kohli wasn’t the only one taking the responsibility; Jadhav took greater risk to score at a fast pace.
From overs 13 to 33, Kohli and Jadhav added 157 runs. Jadhav did not hold back playing his strokes as he raced to a 29-ball half-century. His century came off just 64 balls.
Like Kohli, Jadhav too toyed with the England bowlers, smashing them all over the park. Kohli’s innings came to an end after a slower ball from Ben Stokes took the leading edge, ending the 200-run stand for the fifth wicket.
If Jadhav struggled to run, he put his hands to good use with focus more on playing the big shots.