Virat Kohli comes up with an unexpected reaction after smashing first boundary in 16 overs (Twitter Image)
After smashing just his third boundary en route his 76-run knock, Virat Kohli was seen doing making a rather unexpected gesture after he gathered a first boundary in 16 overs
Following a dismal performance in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, Virat Kohli got back the rhythm in the opening Test against West Indies in Dominica. During India’s first innings, Kohli notched up his 28th Test half-century. But the number of deliveries he took was something to notice.
En route to his 76-run knock, Kohli faced as many as 182 deliveries while clearing the boundary rope only five times. The star Indian batter got the first boundary after 81 balls and was spotted celebrating it.
Kohli then took more than 40 balls to smash the second boundary but was yet to find the momentum. After much struggle, when Kohli struck his third boundary off Alick Athanaze after 16 overs, the batter could not hold his emotion. Perhaps in a sign of relief, Kohli looked up at the sky and mouthed a few words after his shot breached the boundary line.
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The wicket at Windsor Park did not have much for the batters. But the Indian openers made their batting look so easy. Captain Rohit Sharma scored 103 off 221 balls, while debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal played a gritty 171-run knock. Although, Virat Kohli, who stepped onto the crease after Shubman Gill’s dismissal, had to struggle for each run. West Indies opted for a defensive field set and their bowlers kept bowling tight, forcing Kohli to bat at a strike rate of 41.76.
In reply to West Indies’ first-innings score of 150 runs, India produced a mammoth 421 runs when the visitors declared their innings. Considering the slower nature of the surface, Rohit Sharma introduced his spinner early and the plan clicked. Ravichandran Ashwin who grabbed a fifer in the first innings, once again turned out to be the nemesis for the Carribean batters.
After sending off opposition captain Kraigg Braithwaite early, Ashwin ripped through the Caribbean lower order and wrapped up the innings with 7 wickets under his belt. Another spinner Ravindra Jadeja also shone on the occasion and picked up 5 wickets across both innings. Courtesy of the Indian spinners’ dominant show, West Indies were bundled out for 150 runs and India won the match by an innings and 141 runs. The second Test is scheduled to begin on July 20 at Queen’s Park Oval.