Virat Kohli roared back to form with a sublime century during the fourth Test between India and Australia in Ahmedabad, and the former skipper said that he was relieved with the way he played, while also adding that he was happy with his defensive shots.
Kohli scored 186 runs off 364 balls in India’s first innings, helping the hosts post 571 in reply to Australia’s 480. That helped India gain a 91-run lead going into Australia’s second innings.
Kohli was involved in 50-run partnerships with Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja and KS Bharat, but an impressive 162-run stand with Axar Patel was what changed the complexion of the game.
Kohli won the Player of the Match for his heroics in Ahmedabad.
“To be honest, the expectations I have from myself as a player is more to important to me. I felt I was batting well from the first innings at Nagpur. We focussed on batting for long. I did that to an extent but not to the capability that I have done in the past. Was a little disappointed for that,” the 34-year-old said at the presentation ceremony.
Kohli further explained how the team’s batting strategy changed following Shreyas Iyer’s injury.
“Relief from the point of view that I could play the way I wanted to play. I was happy with my defence. I am not in a space now where I will go out and prove someone wrong. I also need to justify why I am there on the field.
“When I was 60 not out, we decided to play positively. But we lost Shreyas thanks to injury. So, we decided to play time. They were good with the ball and placed some good fields. We got a bit of a lead and gave ourself some sort of a chance,” added the Delhi-born cricketer.
Kohli’s century in Ahmedabad was his first Test ton since November 2019, when he had scored 136 against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
While the fourth Test ended in a draw with India taking the series 2-1, Rohit Sharma and Co still qualified for the World Test Championship final in June, after New Zealand edged Sri Lanka in a thriller on Monday.
India will again meet Australia, at the WTC final at The Oval from 7 June, after the Aussies scripted a nine-wicket win in Indore last week.
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