Current Indian tour to south Africa brings another record attach to Virat-India pass 300 marks

Centurion SA:  Superb presentation from Indian captain Virat Kohli with unbeaten century before South Africa grabbed quick wickets with new ball as the break with 287 for eight on the third day of second test on Monday.

Though India skipper Virat Kohli notched up his 21st century in Test cricket on Day Three of the second match against South Africa at the Super Sport Park on Monday also, with 29-year-old swashbuckling batsman achieved the feat off 146 balls with ten boundaries. Kohli reached the three-figure mark in the 67th over when he worked first ball of Lungi Ngidi’s 12th over towards mid-on. This is Kohli’s second hundred in South Africa. He had earlier scored 119 in Johannesburg in 2013.With this century; the right-handed batsman became the second Indian captain after Sachin Tendulkar to score a Test hundred in South Africa. Kohli also became the fourth fastest batsman and second fastest Indian to reach the 21-century mark in Test cricket, reaching the milestone in 109 innings. He pushed Sachin Tendulkar down to the fifth position; the master blaster has taken 110 innings to reach the mark. He now has 21 test tons to go with 15 half-centuries, a conversion rate when passing 50 that is only bettered in the game by great Australian Don Bradman who made 29 hundreds and 13 fifties. Having labored through most of the morning, however, South Africa used the new ball to good effect, claiming two wickets in the final 15 minutes before the break to take some shine off the Indian effort.

After the interval kohli resume pairing with Ishant Sharma (nought) as the both look to give India a potentially vital first-innings lead. India, trailing 1-0 in the three-match series, bowled South Africa out for 335 in their first innings on a wicket that looks to be flattening out, though it is still expected to break up on days four and five under what has been a baking Highveld sun all through the test. Resuming on 183 for five, India lost three wickets in the session, the first in farcical fashion as Hardik Pandya (15) became the fourth run out in the match. Having been refused a single by Kohli, Pandya ambled back to his end and failed to ground his bat behind his crease despite it being a foot over the line as a throw from Vernon Philander hit the stumps.

Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin shared a quick-fire seventh wicket stand of 71 in 14.2 overs, before the latter fell to the first delivery with the new ball, caught by Faf du Plessis at second slip off the bowling of Philander. Mohammed Shami (1) did not last long before he edged a Morne Morkel delivery to Hashim Amla at first slip.

Kohli and Pandya have India underway in solid fashion. The Indian captain just promising to be one shot away from his 100, as India go past the 200-run mark.  With Day 3, which just  looks like the day that would decide which side will take the big step towards winning the Test, India need this current stand to keep going, while SA look for an early breakthrough as per cricbuzz.