Kohli's ton on Day 2 puts India in strong position against West Indies in second Test
Jul 21, 2023
Port of Spain [Trinidad and Tobago], July 21 : Virat Kohli's first overseas ton since 2018 and Ravindra Jadeja's half-century put India in a strong position against West Indies on the second day of the final Test on Friday.
At lunch on Day 2, India were 373-6 in 108 overs, with Ishan Kishan and Ravichandran Ashwin unbeaten with scores of 18(21)* and 6(11)* respectively.
Kohli resumed day two on 87 and went on to complete a flawless ton to take his tally of Test hundreds on level that with Sir Donald Bradman. Marking his 500th international appearance for India, Kohli looked in complete control throughout his innings.
Kohli's knock of 121 also marked his second century in the Caribbean Islands. He went on to convert his first ton into a double hundred which came in 2016 in North Sound.
With 29 Test tons to his name, Kohli also went past Kane Williamson's tally of 28 centuries and has the third-most Test hundreds among active cricketers after Steve Smith (32) and Joe Root (30).
Ravindra Jadeja stuck with the former Indian skipper and scored his 19th half-century. Just like Kohli, Jadeja took on the bowlers and punished them for bowling on wrong line and length.
Their 159-run partnership came to an end following Alzarri Joseph's direct hit at the bowler's end. Kohli was well short of the line and the set batter had to depart for a score of 121.
Jadeja was next to follow for a score of 61 after a couple of overs following a faint edge from Roach's delivery. This was the final wicket of the first session as Ishan Kishan and Ravichandran Ashwin ensured there was no loss of any further wickets.
India are ahead in 1-0 ahead in the two-match series.
Brief Score: India 373/6 (Virat Kohli 121, Ravindra Jadeja 61; Kemar Roach 2-86) vs West Indies.
