PERTH: India’s batting maestro Virat Kohli shared his wife Anushka Sharma’s presence made his drought-ending century in the first Test of the five-match series against Australia, ‘even more special’.
After reaching the landmark, the right-handed batter waved and blew kisses to his wife Anushka, who was in attendance to support his husband.
On his way back to the pavilion, Kohli was interviewed by former Australian opener Adam Gilchrist, who inquired about his feelings upon amassing a century after a 16-month gap and gestures towards his wife Anushka.
“Anushka has been right by my side through thick and thin so she knows everything that goes on behind the scenes. What goes in the head when you don’t play well or you make a few mistakes,” said Kohli.
“I just wanted to contribute to the team’s scores. I'm not a guy who hangs around for the sake of it. I take pride in performing for the country and yeah that feels amazing and the fact that she’s here makes it even more special,” he added.
For the unversed, Kohli entered the series with a string of below-par performances in the format, having been able to score at a modest average of just 32 since 2020.
The right-handed batter, however, made the most of the Perth’s conditions, that changed drastically after a wicket-fest opening day, which saw him perishing for just five.
Coming out to bat at No.4, the ace batter looked in fine control, the highlight of which was a picture-perfect cover drive against Australian captain Pat Cummins.
He then shrugged off his recent struggles against spin by displaying measured footwork against Nathan Lyon.
Kohli continued to dominate the hosts’ bowlers and eventually brought up his 81st international century in the 135th over of India’s second innings.
His 30th Test century, which came after 17 innings, featured 10 boundaries including two sixes.
This was Kohli’s seventh Test century in Australia and his ninth overall against the opposition. The drought-ending ton put Kohli as the joint-second in the list of most centuries by a visiting batter, only trailing Jack Hobbs (9).
Furthermore, Virat Kohli also went past batting great Sachin Tendulkar, who had six Test centuries against Australia in their home ground.
All in all, he has 10 centuries in Australia across formats, the most by any touring batter.
- Virat Kohli
