It was a brilliant effort by MS: Virat Kohli

MS Dhoni conquered the third day of the Chennai Test with a blitzkrieg of a double-hundred. The glow of Dhoni’s unbeaten 206 runs (off 243 balls) was so blinding that it overpowered the other gem that shone on the day. It was Virat Kohli’s mature, solid and calm 107 – his fourth Test century.

When Virat walked into the press conference, he was expecting to answer more questions about his captain’s knock than his own. And the 24-year-old was glad to oblige.

“It was a brilliant effort by MS, especially after coming at the fall of Sachin Tendulkar’s wicket,” Virat said. This knock was a great example of his ability to hit the ball cleanly – his strike-rate during the double hundred was 87. There are only a few players in the world who can do that.

“I saw him play like this in the ODI against Sri Lanka when he scored 183. It’s easy to play your shots in the ODI. But to analyse a particular situation in Test cricket and play according to it, bat with the tailenders and rotate the strike when required, defend when needed and hit the ball when demanded – it was simply a great display of batting,” Virat said as he lavished praise on his skipper.

While pleased with the way he soaked in the pressure created by the Aussie quicks, Virat was unhappy with his habit of getting out soon after reaching three digits.

“I was really happy with the way I batted because after a good run, I had a few lapses in the ODIs. I took some time off the game and that really helped me. When I came back, I was feeling hungry again and I was eagerly waiting to get on the field for this series.

“However, I was very disappointed when I got out. You want to score a big one when you get a hundred. But there’s some sort of block that I’m facing right now where I get a hundred and get out. I really want to get over that and get big runs in Test cricket. I want to experience that feeling of getting big runs in Test cricket. I’ll now work to erase all these mistakes I’ve been committing and try to get a big hundred,” Virat said while referring to the fact that his highest score in Tests is 116.

This was Virat’s fourth Test century and his second against the Aussies. His maiden Test ton came in Adelaide during India’s forgettable 0-4 whitewash there last year. Given the conditions and the situation in which that knock came, the Adelaide ton still sits pretty as his most special effort.

“The Adelaide hundred remains the most special to me because that came in a tougher situation. To get out of the shell and prove that I can play Test cricket was very important to me, and that ton came at the right time.

“This one is special too as are all other Test tons because I have only four at the moment. When I get many more, I’ll be able to rate them.