The Kohli faithful turned up in strength — Mohali is not known for attendance at Test matches, but perhaps 5,000 made the pilgrimage to the IS Bindra Stadium to back their man. One banner in the stands read: You will always be our captain.
The day’s play was preceded by Rahul Dravid handing over a baggy blue cap to Kohli, who admitted, after the day’s play that he had not quite understood the magnitude of his feat till the day dawned.
“I told Rahul bhai that I felt like I was making my debut again,” said Kohli. “I was nervous before I went in to bat. There were definitely butterflies in the stomach.”
But, Kohli did a tremendous job of hiding this, as he always does, exuding confidence. In this latest patch, where he has been unable to score the volume of runs, especially the big scores, of the past, Kohli has not looked scratchy at the crease.
The first innings of his 100th Test was no exception. In the 25th ball Kohli faced, Suranga Lakmal slanted in towards the on-side and a glorious front foot flick sent the ball racing to the fence. The balance, the timing and the placement were vintage Kohli.
Then Lasith Embuldeniya dropped one short and the left-arm spinner was dismissed imperiously, Kohli going deep in his crease and pulling in front of square.
The wagon wheel was expanded when Lahiru Kumara provided some width, a flat batted shot flying to the right of the fielder at point.
Vishwa Fernando was pumped through cover for Kohli’s fourth boundary, but there would not be a fifth on the day. Playing back to Embuldeniya, Kohli was opened up by a ball that turned, and the off stump was pegged back, past the outside edge.
The Kohli show had lasted 104 minutes, but it was over.
Indian fans at Mohali, however, did not have too long to wallow. Rishabh Pant took over the day after the fall of a couple of quick wickets.
India had wobbled, but they were still ahead of the game, and Pant ensured that it stayed that way. Very careful initially, just picking the gaps and running hard, Pant only played two adventurous shots on the way to his half-century. The first was a typical hoick over long-on off the spinner and the second a wander down the track to blast the medium-pacer over cover.
After reaching 50, in 73 balls, however, it was a different story.
One minute you were watching a gentle documentary and the next it was as though someone had changed the channel and a Rambo movie was playing.
With sheer musculature, Pant took apart slow and fast bowling alike. Embuldeniya was taken for 22 off an over, and Sri Lanka put six fielders on the ropes. Little did they know this would not deter Pant in the least.
Pant raced from 50 to 96 in just 21 balls, and a hundred felt inevitable but was not to be. The second new ball did the trick, Lakmal finding the off stump with Pant appearing to be late on the defensive shot. This was the 5th time Pant had fallen in the 90s, with the four majestic Test tons he has scored.
But this will not bother Pant, for he had done his job and given people their money’s worth as India ended the day on 357 for 6.
BRIEF SCORES
India 357/6 (Pant 96, Vihari 58, Kohli 45, Mayank 33, Jadeja 45 batting, Ashwin 10 batting; Embuldeniya 2/107) vs Sri Lanka
