KING KOHLI
England fight back but India skipper has the last laugh... again
Asuperb 149 from India captain Virat Kohli rescued his side at birmingham after england seemed set to take control on the second day of the first Test.
India were 182 for eight in reply to england’s 287, only for Kohli to impose himself less than 24 hours after he mocked Joe root with a mic-drop celebration on running him out.
Kohli survived two dropped catches by Dawid Malan to bring up his first Test hundred in england and lift the tourists to 274. Off-spinner ravichandran Ashwin then bowled Alastair Cook for a duck shortly before stumps to leave the game on a knife-edge, with england just 22 in front.
‘Virat showed terrific discipline,’ said India’s assistant coach sanjay bangar. ‘That innings has narrowed the gap massively. At one stage we were staring down the barrel. but because of his brilliance, it’s even stevens.’
england, though, know they should already be out of sight in a game that has ebbed and flowed several times in the first two days.
Malan dropped Kohli on 21 at second slip off Jimmy Anderson, then again on 51 off ben stokes — a tougher chance as he dived to his right. Had the first one been held, India would have been 100 for six and almost certainly down and out.
‘No one means to drop catches,’ said sam Curran, who marked his second Test appearance with four key wickets, including India’s top three in the space of eight balls. ‘On another day, they’re taken but you can’t dwell on them too much in a game like this.’
Curran would have been county team-mates with Kohli in July had the Indian captain not pulled out of a month-long arrangement with surrey because of a neck injury.
but instead of learning about his qualities in the Oval nets, Curran had to watch them as a Test-match opponent as Kohli set about putting right a dismal record in england.
‘It was an eye-opener for me watching the way he bats and how precise you have to be with your lengths,’ said Curran. ‘He did nick a lot of balls outside off stump that didn’t carry, so we stuck to our plans.
‘personally, it was a special day with the ball, taking a few early wickets. I can’t really remember it as it was so unreal standing in the field with my heroes — guys like Jimmy, (stuart) broady and stokesy.’
Meanwhile, Jos buttler will be fit to bat in england’s second innings after undergoing an X-ray on his left middle finger after he injured it in the field trying to catch Kohli.