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India vs Australia, 2nd Test, Day 3: Australia edge ahead after Virat Kohli’s 123 at lunch

Master batsman Virat Kohli smacked his 25th century on Sunday and his sixth in Australia, joining the elite company of boyhood hero Sachin Tendulkar.

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Nathan Lyon was handed the ball to start the proceedings on day three of the 2nd Test at the Optus Stadium, Perth much to the surprise of many, but it worked. Off the fourth delivery of the first over, Ajinkya Rahane edged one – a straighter one – to Tim Paine. Australia had broken the key partnership and they did not even have to wait for the new ball, which was due 11 overs after.

Rahane departed without adding to his overnight score of 51.  Australia smelled blood. In the third over of the day, Pat Cummins knocked one on Kohli’s elbow, while Hanuma Vihari was peppered with the short stuff. That was the passage of play Australia enjoyed. After that, King Kohli ruled Perth, that was until the last six minutes to go in the session, which Australia grabbed by the scruff of the neck and find themselves 74 ahead with India’s tail exposed.

Starting the day at 172/3, India were dented early with Rahane’s dismissal but the confidence and the assurance with which Vihari batted with Kohli, adding 50 runs for the fifth wicket, helped India remain ahead and in view of Australia’s first innings total of 326. Kohli was aggressive right from the onset waiting for the bad balls to be put away. Mitchell Starc, in search of swing, pitched quite a few deliveries up and Kohli took boundaries at will.

Vihari, at the other end, too did not shy away from playing his shots and slashed hard outside off to move to 20 off 46 balls. Kohli rotated the strike well and with a boundary off Lyon got to the 90s.

Then he punched one off Starc, when on 96, to rack up his 25th Test century, the second fastest to reach the milestone in 127 innings, better Sachin Tendulkar (130).

It was his sixth century in Australia, matching the feat of Tendulkar and motoring him past Alastair Cook, David Gower and Clive Lloyd.  While Tendulkar took 20 Tests to get his six centuries, Kohli only needed 10, further cementing his place as one of the all-time greats. Only England’s Jack Hobbs (nine) and Wally Hammond (seven) have more.

He even got a six over third man off a wide one from Cummins, but he lost Vihari to a peach of delivery from Josh Hazlewood. Vihari, who had looked good until that ball, could not have done much to evade the delivery and the edge was taken easily by Paine behind the stumps.

Rishabh Pant curbed his natural instincts and supported his skipper with a sedate 21-ball unbeaten 14. With India reducing the lead under hundred, Australia needed something special to maintain their edge and that was provided by Peter Handscomb at wide slip when he managed to get his fingers underneath the dying ball that was edged by Kohli off Cummins.

Umpires went upstairs for confirmation as Kohli seemed confident that the ball had bounced before Handscomb caught it. But, because the on-field umpire Kumar Dharmasena’s soft signal was out and third umpire Nigel Llong didn’t have any conclusive evidence to overturn that, Kohli had to depart. He made 123 off 257 balls.

In the next over, Lyon had Mohammed Shami edging one to Paine for a golden duck, to signal the end of the session.

India 251/7 (Virat Kohli 123; Nathan Lyon 2/50) trail Australia 326 by 74 runs

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