Virat Kohli performs a defensive shot throughout the fourth day of the fourth cricket check match between India and Australia in Ahmedabad on (*88*) 12, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP
Virat Kohli sedately inched in direction of his first Test hundred since November 2019 as India reached 362 for 4 at lunch on day 4 of the fourth Test in opposition to Australia right here on Sunday.
The pitch hasn’t been simple for scoring with solely 73 runs scored off 32 overs within the morning session. Kohli (88 batting) added 29 runs to his in a single day rating of 59 not out with India nonetheless 118 runs behind Australia’s first innings rating of 480.
With Shreyas Iyer unlikely to bat as a consequence of recurrence of a decrease again damage, Okay.S. Bharat was promoted up the order and he did his case no hurt with an unbeaten 25 off 70 balls.
The wicket-keeper additionally shared an unbroken 53-run stand with the previous India captain.
Bharat, actually, performed the perfect shot of the morning, a slog sweep over cow nook off Nathan Lyon for a six.
The solely wicket that India misplaced throughout the session was of Ravindra Jadeja (28 off 84 balls), who didn’t clear Usman Khawaja at mid-on off Todd Murphy (2/64 in 32 overs).
Kohli has put his head down throughout his 220-ball knock and it did enable the Australians to regulate the proceedings on a gradual deck. The solely time he bought closest to hitting a boundary was a flick by means of mid-wicket off Cameron Green however Mitchell Starc minimize it down to 3 runs.
He was then pleased getting the occasional single and double to maintain the scoreboard shifting.
Bharat, who has had a wretched time with the bat within the sequence thus far, did look far more assured on a flat monitor and was extra assured in his defence.
He put an enormous stride ahead to negate the little little bit of flip that was on provide for the Australian spinners.
The just one who bought a few deliveries to interrupt again sharply was Lyon (1/99 in 49 overs).
Scoreboard
Australia 1st Innings: 480 in 167.2 overs.
India 1st Innings: (Overnight 289/3; 99 overs) Rohit Sharma c Labuschagne b Kuhnemann 35 Shubman Gill lbw 128 Cheteshwar Pujara lbw Murphy 42 Virat Kohli batting 88 Ravindra Jadeja c Khawaja b Murphy 28 Srikar Bharat batting 25
Extras: (B-10, LB-4, NB-2) 16
Total: (For 4 wickets in 131 overs) 362
Fall of Wickets: 1-74, 2-187, 3-245, 4-309
Bowling: Mitchell Starc 17-2-74-0, Cameron Green 14-0-54-0, Nathan Lyon 49-8-99-1, Matthew Kuhnemann 19-2-57-1, Todd Murphy 32-9-64-2.
