Virat Kohli has taken his game to a different level, feels Murali Vijay

What’s the story?

India’s reliable opening batsman Murali Vijay has lavished praise on captain Virat Kohli’s irrepressible form during the current home season. The duo scored centuries to propel the hosts to a dominant position at the end of the opening day of the one-off Test against Bangladesh at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

Interacting with reporters at the end of the day’s play, Vijay lauded Kohli’s attacking batting in the last session which allowed India to place Mushfiqur Rahim’s men under immense pressure.

The Tamil Nadu cricketer said, “It’s always a great sight to watch Virat play, the way he is playing at the moment. He has taken his game to a different level at the moment. End of the day, you can see we are 354 (actually 356) and I thought 340 would be great. Those 10-20 runs extra just happened because of him. The way he was striking the ball was fantastic. After the new ball was taken, it came onto the bat more faster I guess. And I think he has a set game plan, it’s working out well for him. Hopefully, he can continue to go on.”

The Context

Upon winning the toss on a batting-friendly pitch, India lost KL Rahul during the opening over of the match. However, Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara resurrected the innings with a solid partnership. When the platform was laid for him to take control, Kohli registered an unbeaten 141-ball 111 to propel the score to 356/3 at first day’s close. As many as 150 runs came in the last session alone.

The heart of the matter

Vijay himself batted fluently and put on 178 runs for the second wicket with Pujara. The elegant right-hander was let-off early on in the innings when Mehedi Hasan failed to gather the throw and effect a simple run-out.

He reiterated the importance of developing better communication between them and even jokingly suggested that their conversation would have been quite different if he did not survive the run-out chance. However, Vijay went on to speak earnestly about Pujara’s steady contribution to the team’s cause and their highly productive partnership at the top of the order.

What’s next?

Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane have already added 122 runs for the fourth wicket. With the bowlers not looking too dangerous and the pitch settling down, they will be looking to develop the total into a substantial one.

Sportskeeda’s Take

Kohli has scored 1075 runs during this home season at an astounding average of 89.58 (as of 9^th February) including four centuries. Switching between formats remarkably well, he has managed to adapt to different situations and amass runs on a consistent basis. The skipper has indeed taken his game to another level.