Birmingham: It was more than a personal milestone of a maiden Test century in England for Team India captain Virat Kohli. He may have had a scratchy start in swinging conditions but he went on to stand like an emperor in a batting masterclass as he farmed the strike to get to the landmark 22ndton of his career.
The skipper, who has been leading from the front in this contest from the moment he ran his counterpart Joe Root out and celebrated with the 'mic down' gesture to taunt his rival, he has taken complete charge of India's fortunes.
In fear of being bowled out to leave England well ahead, Kohli took over the task of controlling the innings. In five Tests on his first tour of England four years ago, Kohli had made 134 runs at the miserable average of 13.4 He put behind all the doubts about his mastering the English conditions in which the ball moves around as if with a will of its own and made more runs in this one innings than in the previous 10.
On 97 when last man Umesh Yadav joined him, Kohli showed why he is the world's top rated batsman today even as he kept the lead down to …. And once again opened up the Test after that remarkable direct hit at the stumps that proved the first turning point.
