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Dominica 2023 may not be mentioned as one of the major stops on Virat Kohli’s cricket journey. The king of beating excellence once had to dress in overalls and be a blue-collar worker as he struggled through roles that made him look like an ordinary human.
It had nothing to do with the challenge posed by the West Indian bowlers. There wasn’t much in the way of continued excellence in the form of speed or spin, but Kohli was given some anxious moments nonetheless.
Starting in the third over on the 36th, he could have been returned for 40 had Kraigg Brathwaite stuck to a spirited run off Gommel Warican under short cover. He could have been out in the first over after lunch as wicket-keeper Joshua da Silva was holding on to out bases when Kohli went on a loose run off the stumps. He was 72 then.
BAU for the king 👑@employee #INDvWIonFanCode #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/spatlze14K
– FanCode (FanCode) July 14, 2023
At that moment, one could sense that the elements were conspiring to allow Kohli to reach his second hundred in three Tests after a long century drought. But non-spinner Rakim Cornwall was allowed to sit out long after the field with a chest injury, causing him to spin and move more than Kohli expected. He could have left it or taken it to the body, but he tried to turn it around the corner and a leg slip took a sharp catch to send the former captain back for 76.
The pitch at Windsor Park was slow with some uneven bounce of width, and Kohli often struggled to get into the middle of the bat when the likes of Roach, Jason Holder or Alzari Joseph drilled him short.
For a batsman known for his scintillating play, managing just five boundaries in 182 balls shows that the modern great batsman never had things along his path. The slow pitch and slow pitch were in stark contrast to what was on display in the WTC Final at The Oval last month. Three of those four came in the 10 deliveries he faced when Kohli tapped some loose stuff from the West Indian’s part-time bowlers, but otherwise it was an innings of drudgery.
Virat Kohli grabs his 29th Test half-century 👏#WIvIND pic.twitter.com/9eARrrqaC2
– Cricket on BT Sport (btsportcricket) July 14, 2023
While there might be a temptation to break the shackles and be a little more aggressive, he spoke of Kohli’s maturity that he realized that wasn’t quite happening for him and his form and the state of the match demanded he grind the innings and push the West Indies further out of the game.
In the bigger picture, with Joe Root and Steve Smith having scored hundreds of Tests over the past month, they have overtaken Kohli in century count, so much so that some even wondered if he still belonged to the so-called ‘Fab Four’ at least in a Test game. cricket.
Joshua Da Silva was at his best but brought him down. So close! 😬#WIvIND pic.twitter.com/Wn7X97DHjD
– Cricket on BT Sport (btsportcricket) July 14, 2023
But the grit and determination that Kohli displayed without looking, at any time, to be at his best batting pace proved that there were still some runs left in him.
A Mumbaikar who stumbled
Yashasvi Jaiswal looked set to hit his hundred on Test debut, such was his application and control of the pitch that was by no means bed. Neither speed nor spin bothered him, and one felt that it would only be a batter’s error or impatience that could have caused his downfall.
A stand on the drive and an uppercut to Joseph showed that the pace wasn’t bothering him, while Jamal Warikan, a left-arm spinner with a six-pitch, indicated he was ready to push on.
Possibly, this is what caused Josef to push his back foot so loosely he could manage only a thin outside edge to Da Silva behind the stumps. The left-hander left 29 fewer than 200, having faced no fewer than 387 deliveries.
As the 21-year-old left to a standing ovation from the Indian dressing room and stands, he was replaced by fellow Mumbaikar Ajinkya Rahan, perhaps at the other end of his Test career.
Almost the forgotten man of Indian cricket until a few months ago, some impressive performances in the Indian Premier League brought him back into the reckoning. The veteran returned to the final of the World Traded Championship and was the most fluent Indian batsman to take on the Australians. But making him vice-captain in the Caribbean raised some young men by surprise as many felt like a step backwards when the need of the hour was regeneration and blood in a few youngsters.
Friday’s rounds were important for Bet, but he would kick himself because of his soft dismissal only three times. The first delivery of Roach’s spell gripped the surface and bounced a little more than Ratney had expected, and he quickly caught it off with ease.
Rahane may not get another hit in this game, making the second Test in Port-of-Spain even more crucial for his Test future.
For the first time to remember 🫡@ybj_19
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.#INDvWIonFanCode #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/YGOhRAfSAh
– FanCode (FanCode) July 14, 2023
Playing against nature
Jaiswal faced 16 deliveries before making his Test debut, and went on to score 171. Fellow debutant Ishan Kishan was brought into the side to provide more batting muscle and flair. Therefore, it was baffling to see the wicketkeeper’s batsman negotiating 19 deliveries without playing a shot in anger.
It clearly alarmed captain Rohit Sharma, who signaled from the dressing room to see what was going on. Kishan immediately spun on his next back foot and turned one over to the other side to get his first run in Test cricket, and Rohit immediately declared the innings at 421/5, with a first innings lead of 271.
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