Pune: Virat Kohli slammed a record career best double hundred to help India post a mammoth 601/5d before pacers Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami rattled the South African top order to leave them tottering at 36/3, still 565 runs behind, on Day 2 of the second Test here on Friday.
Kohli, whose previous best was 243 against Sri Lanka, remained unbeaten on 254 from 336 balls, his marathon innings, which lasted close to eight hours, studded with 33 fours and two sixes as he became the Indian captain with the highest score in the five-day format.
Kohli, who hadn’t scored a century this year before this inning, also became the Indian batsman with the most number of double tons to his name.
Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja, promoted to bat at No 4 with Hanuma Vihari not playing, missed out on his second Test hundred and got out at 91 after which India declared to have a crack at the visitors.
Umesh Yadav, coming back into the team in place of the injured Jasprit Bumrah, snared the first two wickets of Aiden Markram (0) who was trapped in front and Dean Elgar (6) who was played on to set the tone. Mohammed Shami then had Temba Bavuma (8) caught behind by keeper Wriddhiman Saha.
At stumps, Theunis de Bruyn was batting on 20 with nightwatchman Anrich Nortje on 2.
Earlier, Kohli scored a record seventh double hundred of his career as the motley crowd at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium were treated to batting of the highest order.
Kohli stitched together a 225-run stand with Jadeja for the fifth wicket and also had a partnership of 178 with vice captain Ajinkya Rahane who scored 59 off 168 deliveries (8×4), before Keshav Maharaj had him caught behind by keeper Quinton de Kock.
But there was no stopping the Indian batsmen from scoring runs as Jadeja milked the tired South African bowlers for easy runs while Kohli upped the ante to take Maharaj for two boundaries in an over.
Earlier, Kohli scored a brilliant hundred as he, along with Rahane, took the hosts to a commanding position. At Lunch, India were sitting in the driver’s seat at 356/3 with Kohli reaching his century in 173 balls. The 31-year-old looked in a league of his own from there on as he swatted away the rival bowlers with utter nonchalance to get to his 150 in 241 balls. After that, he shifted gears with Jadeja at the other end and brought up his record double ton in 295 balls, hitting 28 fours en route. Jadeja got to his fifty in 79 balls and started playing in one day mode after that as Kohli seemingly waited for the all-rounder to get his hundred. (IANS)
