Virat Kohli cracked his 21st Test century and 11th away ton in Centurion.
Cricket legend –Sunil Gavaskar, on Sunday, lavished praises on Indian skipper Virat Kohli for his gritty knock in the second Test of the three-match series against South Africa in Centurion.
The dashing right-hander came in at a time where the touring side was on an insecure position after KL Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara were dismissed in two consecutive deliveries that left India at 28/2 and played an outstanding knock to pull his side out of the delicate situation in Centurion.
Former Indian skipper also praised Kohli for the way he used R Ashwin as his main weapon in the second Test, which helped India to bowl South Africa out at 335 in their first innings.
The 29-year-old’s gritty century managed to put India into a good position in the second Test match with 287/ 8 at lunch against South Africa, which draws praise from Cricket pundit Gavaskar.
In his column for TOI, Gavaskar wrote, “Kohli's determination to ensure India come back in the series was seen by the manner in which he began his innings. There was none of the early tentativeness as at Newlands and the way he moved into position for attacking and defensive shots were a treat to watch.”
He further added, “Already, there are rumblings within the Proteas about the kind of pitch that has been provided for this Test. However, this surface is tailor-made for India. Despite the loss of five wickets, one hopes the skipper along with Pandya can help India take control of the game.”
Commenting on star off-spinner Ashwin, Gavaskar signed off by saying, “Ashwin was terrific and once he focuses on his stock ball and brings the variety deliveries as a surprise weapon, he is a handful. Ishant Sharma gave him good support.”