England Suffer as Kohli Burns so Bright With Tigerish Intent

Derek Pringle analyses a masterclass from a batsman who has tempered his white-ball aggression to end England jinx.

Virat Kohli marked his 50th Test with his highest score against England in the second Test at Visakhapatnam, a feat which conquered as many personal demons as it did opposition bowlers.

Kohli is a fabulous batsmen in all formats of the game but his Test record against England, at least before this Test, was poor by his lofty standards. Before Vizag, he averaged just 20.55 in 10 Tests against them, the numbers of a modern tailender and not one of the finest batsmen of the current era.

Such a poor record against one team can cause a man mental scars or at the very least a phobia, so Kohli had more than just his coach’s voice telling him he was overdue against an England side emboldened by their fine showing in the first Test.

This aversion to England is where he differs so markedly from Cheteshwar Pujara, the other centurion on the opening day in Vizag. Pujara has an affinity for England’s bowlers, at least in India, where he has made four hundreds against them.

Unlike Pujara, yet like many of today’s Test batsmen (think David Warner), Kohli is essentially a product of white ball cricket and the freneticism those formats require. But whereas Warner has tempered that side of his game with calmness and control, Kohli still looks wound up to the point where something must explode.

In the past it has. The recall of James Anderson for this Test would have stirred memories, given the five times Anderson has dismissed him previously. Mostly, this has been accomplished by probing an off-side line where a fifth stump would be and waiting for him to lose patience. Until now, the wait has rarely been a long one.