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That hundred in Adelaide remains special: Kohli
While MS Dhoni's flamboyance ensured he would dominate the headlines even as Team India consolidated its position on Day Three of the opening Test against Australia in Chennai, another knock also deserves a mention.
Virat Kohli's 107 was an innings that to a considerable extent laid the foundation for the team, something the Indian captain build upon.
In the course of the innings, the young batsman was involved in two crucial partnerships – 91 for the fourth wicket with Sachin Tendulkar (81) and another 128 for the fifth with his captain.
It was Kohli's second straight hundred, having scored 103 against England in the fourth Test in Nagpur, and fourth overall. Coincidentally it came against the same opposition that he had scored his first hundred.
'I had to prove a point'
It was in January last year that Kohli, playing in only his eighth Test, scored 116 in the first innings in the fourth Test at Adelaide.
The knock wasn't enough to help prevent a 4-0 whitewash. However, it did underline Kohli's credentials as a Test player. No wonder he still values that innings.
"The Adelaide hundred remains special," admitted Kohli, when asked to compare that hundred to the one he scored on Sunday.
The 24-year-old proceeded to offer an explanation. "That's a tougher situation we were in," he continued, adding, "I had to prove a point that I can play well in Test matches.
"I think that knock came at the right time."
'I was disappointed to get out'
The batsman also managed to get a three-figure score against New Zealand in the second Test in Bangalore last year and admitted he cherished all of them.
"I have so far scored only four hundreds and so each one of them is special in their own way," he said. The batsman albeit was disappointed at his failure to build on the innings.
Soon after reaching the milestone the batsman got carried away and hit a Nathan Lyon delivery straight to Mitchell Starc at mid-on. Much to his frustration, Kohli hasn't been able to convert any of his four Test hundreds so far into a bigger contribution.
"I was disappointed to get out at that time," he admitted.
"When you get a hundred you want to make that opportunity count and score big. But that is block that I'm going through at the moment," he added. The young batsman was all praise for his captain.
"If he (MS Dhoni) bats like that you don't have much to say," said Kohli, adding, "If was a great knock, more so because he came out to bat at the fall of Sachin's (Tendulkar) wicket, and we needed to build a partnership at that stage.
"His innings was a great example of his ability to hit the ball clean."