Virat Kohli continued his stellar run of form in 2023 to pull India out of trouble on the opening day of their Boxing Day Test against South Africa on Tuesday. However, he missed out on his 30th fifty in Test cricket and first in a Boxing Day Test in South Africa.
Kohli had walked in to bat with India in a spot of trouble but he joined forces with Shreyas Iyer to steady the ship. India lost Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill early before Kohli and Iyer added 68 for the 4th wicket.
Virat Kohli has played two Boxing Day Tests so far against South Africa, once in Durban and twice now in Centurion. In Durban 10 years ago, Kohi had scored 46 and 11 before returning scores of 35 and 28 at the Supersport Park two years ago.
In Australia, Virat Kohli’s scores in Boxing Day Tests read: 11 and 0, 169 and 54, 82 and 0.
Virat Kohli has had a terrific time with the bat in 2023 after battling indifferent form over the past few years. He finished the calendar year as the second highest run-scorer in one-day internationals after showing signs of his class in the Indian Premier League in the summer.
Virat Kohli announced his intent with a classy hundred in the fouth and final Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy. In the West Indies, Kohli hit a half-century and a hundred to go level with Don Bradman’s tally of 29 in Tests.
Virat Kohli did not start off the year on a great note in Tests with low scores in the first BGT Tests in Nagpur, Delhi and Indore. However, in the final Test, with India 2-1 ahead, Kohli scored 185 on a flat pitch in Ahmedabad. In the World Test Championship final against Australia, Kohli got out for 49 in the second innings and his poor shot selection drew sharp criticism from Sunil Gavaskar.
In the two Tests, India’s first series in the current WTC cycle, Virat Kohli scored 76 in the first match and followed that up with 121 in the second.
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