Virat Kohli becomes first captain to score hat-trick of centuries in three-match series

 

Dragging the fuller delivery from Dilruwan Perera through midwicket, as India skipper Virat Kohli got his first three-digit figure on home ground – the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, New Delhi, during the third and final Test match between India and Sri Lanka. But what makes it worth phenomenal for the Kohli is the fact that he is the first captain ever to notch up a hat-trick of centuries in a three-match series.


After the dismissal of both Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara on identical scores of 23, early in the innings, Kohli stepped in. Sri Lanka, who all this while in the series, looked jaded, suddenly were up with confidence to scalp a few more. But Kohli and opener Murali Vijay wreaked havoc at the crease to stitch a 283-run third-wicket partnership. Both slammed their Test centuries and for the Indian captain, he got his fastest in the longest format of the game- off 110 deliveries. 


In an innings so far for the 29-year-old, he laced 16 boundaries to rack up his 20th Test ton and in a bid surpassed two milestones – the 5000-run mark in Test cricket and also breached the 16000-run mark in international cricket becoming the fastest ever to do so.


Notching up a hundred isn't something new for a captain in a Test match.A row of centuries may be in a five-match series, is still not a rarity. But for a skipper to score a hat-trick of centuries in three-match series, sure is. And Kohli made it possible. He scored an unbeaten 104 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata followed by a blistering 213 in Nagpur before completing the hat-trick at his home ground in his 63rd game in New Delhi. 


Talking about the match, Sri Lanka had few smiles as the first day of the third Test closed with four batsmen down. But the giant screen still featured a massive score of 371/4 at stumps. Indians once again dominated with the bat for centuries from Kohli and Vijay put the home team at a commanding position.




Source:TimesNow

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