"Not in a space now where I will go out and prove someone wrong" - Virat Kohli after ending century drought in Test cricket

Star Team India batter Virat Kohli ended his century drought in Test cricket with a sublime 186-run knock in the final game of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Ahmedabad.

While he looked good in the first three Tests of the series, the former Indian skipper failed to capitalize on his starts. However, Kohli made the most of a good batting wicket at the Narendra Modi Stadium to bring his 28th Test ton.

When quizzed on whether it was a burden off his shoulders, the ace batter highlighted that he was relieved from the point of view that he could play to his abilities.

"Relief from the point of view that I could play the way I wanted to play," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony. "I was happy with my defence. I am not in a space now where I will go out and prove someone wrong. I also need to justify why I am there on the field."

Kohli further stressed that there was no pressure on him from fans' expectations. He also insisted that he was batting well in Nagpur but was disappointed after failing to make the most out of it.

"To be honest, the expectations I have from myself as a player is more important to me," he continued. "I felt I was batting well from the first innings at Nagpur. We focused on batting for a long time. I did that to an extent but not to the capability that I have done in the past. Was a little disappointed by that."

Kohli finished as the second-highest run-scorer in the series with 297 runs in four matches at an average of 49.50, including one hundred.

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"We decided to play time" - Virat Kohli on plans while batting on Day 4

The highlight of Virat Kohli's hundred was that he hit only 15 boundaries during his 364-ball stay in the middle. He also didn't play a single shot against the turn, which earned praise from all quarters.

Throwing light on his plans on Day 4, the Delhi-born cricketer said:

"When I was 60 not out, we decided to play positively. But we lost Shreyas to injury and were a batter short. So, we decided to play time. They were good with the ball and placed some good fields. We got a bit of a lead and gave ourselves some sort of a chance."

The match eventually ended in a draw and India retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the fourth consecutive time, having won the series 2-1.

Both teams will now lock horns in a three-match ODI series, which will get underway on Friday, March 17, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

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