AB de Villiers was a happy man on November 24. No, it’s his birthday. He was just giddy because his close friend and Royal Challengers Bengaluru teammate Virat Kohli had scored a glorious hundred against Australia in Perth. Going through a rough patch, consistently failing in the Indian home season, Kohli finally came out of his funk.
AB de Villiers ecstatic Kohli’s among runs again
Kohli had suffered a disappointment in the first innings, falling for 5. The second time he came out, the batter looked much more assured and was on the attack. Team India was already on top by then, but Kohli put the final nail in the coffin. He’d started slow, as wickets from the other fell.
He’s scored his first fifty runs in 94 balls. Once the lead was past 400, he opened up. With Washington Sundar gone and debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy by his side, Kohli upped the ante as he hit the next fifty runs in just 49 balls. The milestone came, and Kohli and the whole of India celebrated. But over 10,000 kilometers away from Australia, de Villiers also had his arms aloft.
“In that second innings, I watched every ball. An incredible athlete, he has had a tough time. We saw the relief on his face after he got his hundred. Very happy for Virat and very happy for India. I do expect the Aussies to be back, no doubt, but it’s going to be a fascinating Test series to watch,” said de Villiers on his YouTube channel.
It wasn’t exactly a shock that Kohli got back to form in Australia. Despite being an Indian, Down Under is where Kohli has enjoyed his batting the most. Of the 8 nations he’d played Test cricket in, nowhere has he averaged more than what he’s done in Australia.
Virat Kohli’s Test record in Australia
| Matches | Runs | Average | 50s | 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1457 | 56.03 | 4 | 7 |
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