#3 Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane – 262 (Melbourne - 2014)
India’s tour of Australia in 2014 will be remembered for a couple of reasons. One, MS Dhoni shockingly bid adieu to Test cricket at the end of the Boxing Day Test. Two, the way Steve Smith and Virat Kohli batted throughout the series.
Already trailing 2-0 in the series even after playing very well, India were under pressure in the Boxing Day Test. They had conceded 500 for the third consecutive time in the first innings and were in a spot of bother while batting.
At 147/3, things weren’t looking great. At that moment, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane joined hands and put up an exhibition of some thrilling and world-class batting. They forged a counter-attacking 262-run stand for the 4th wicket to drag India back into the game.
The way they took on the pace trio of Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris and Josh Hazlewood was just brilliant. They had an answer to every plan of the Aussie bowling attack. They pulled with authority, nailed the drives through the off-side and more importantly kept rotating the strike and complemented each other very well. Kohli made 169 (his third ton of the series) while Rahane scored 147.
Their stand of 262 came at a very good rate. Their counter-attack put the pressure back on Australia as India inched closer to Australia’s first innings total of 530. However, India collapsed after their stand and were dismissed for 465 (409 was the score when Rahane got out).
Australia then 318 to set India a target of 384, but Dhoni (in what was his final Test) helped India salvage a draw in the end.
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