Virat Kohli has been batting with supreme confidence of late. Before a near full house at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday, he showed his class with a stroke-filled unbeaten 147 that has forced England on to the back foot in the fourth Test.
Summoned to the middle by Cheteshwar Pujara’s unexpected dismissal off the second ball of the day, the Indian captain countered England’s predominantly spin-based attack for almost six hours in a typically assertive manner, stringing together partnerships of substance with M. Vijay — who went on to complete his century in the first session — Ravindra Jadeja and Jayant Yadav, to give the hosts the first-innings lead.
India went to stumps on day three at 451 for seven — 51 runs ahead, with Kohli and Jayant (30 batting) at the crease.
The only blot on Kohli’s otherwise purposeful innings occurred when he was on 68. Leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who found rhythm in the second session of play, failed to hold on to what Joe Root would later describe as a half-chance, at a return catch low to his left off an attempted straight-drive.
Much to everyone’s surprise the England captain Alastair Cook started the day’s proceedings with Jake Ball, and not Jimmy Anderson or Chris Woakes.
Immediate impact
Ball did have immediate impact; he had Pujara stretching forward and shouldering arms to a delivery that seemed to be gaining height but went on to crash into his off-stump.
England’s joy was shortlived as Vijay and Kohli sized up the situation quickly and scored with ease, using their feet against the spinners to rock back and across or go down the pitch.
England tried to drag Kohli into an error by pitching the ball around the off stump. But the Indian skipper responded beautifully by falling back to cut and dropping his wrists to score behind point.
Vijay stepped out to lift Moeen Ali for a straight six, and employed the sweep and the cover-drive too against the off- spin. The opener went on to get to a well-deserved eighth Test century, in the course of a 116-run stand with Kohli.
It was against the run of play that Rashid got Vijay, caught and bowled off a full-toss for 136.
Vijay’s departure after the long interval set off a collapse; from 262 for two, India soon found itself at 307 for six. First, Karun Nair departed, leg-before to Moeen as confirmed by the DRS.
Then Root, in charge while Cook was off the field, brought himself on, and scalped two with his part-time off-spin. Parthiv Patel was caught behind, and R. Ashwin flicked him right into forward-short-leg Keaton Jennings.
Notably, none of these wickets had been caused by the ball turning and bouncing abnormally. Barring Ashwin, the rest of the batsmen had seemed in no trouble against spin, with Moeen even resorting to the round-the-wicket negative line.
However, Jadeja and Jayant underlined the value of lower-order wickets, as India extricated itself out of the situation.
After a half-century stand with Kohli, Jadeja took on Rashid and perished.
However Jayant, who survived a DRS appeal for caught-behind off Anderson, is still out there with his skipper, and the unbroken eighth-wicket stand has delivered 87 runs already.
