THE KOHLI ERA

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo. 

Venue- P Sara Oval, Colombo [August 2015].

In August 2015 Indian Cricket Team toured Sri Lanka to play 3 test matches. It was the first full test series of Virat Kohli as Test Captain. Prior to this he did captain India in 3 test matches, but this was the series wherein he had the complete command of everything. It is because against Australia MS Dhoni captained in a couple of tests, whereas against Bangladesh it was just a one-off match which too got washed-out. Hence this was the first major challenge for the new and young Indian Captain. 

However, the series did not start of pretty well for Kohli. Despite dominating the first test they suffered a 4th inning collapse which gave Sri Lanka a 1-0 lead in the series. The Indians needed just 176 runs to win the game, but Rangana Herath wove a spin-web in which he dismissed 7 Indian Batsmen. The visitors were bowled out for just 112 runs as the hosts won the game by 63 runs. 

As a result, the second test was a do or die test for the Indians. In a must win game Kohli won the toss and elected to bat first. The Indians started of pretty badly as they were reduced to 12/2 in just 5 overs. However, KL Rahul took charge and scored a magnificent 108 runs. Apart from him Kohli, Sharma and Saha too scored vital 50s as the visitors piled up 393 in their first innings. In response the Lankans scored 306 in their first innings as Angelo Mathews played a captain's knock of 102. Amit Mishra was the leading wicket taker in the first innings as he picked up 4 wickets for 43 runs. 

In the second innings Rahane showed his class as he scored a majestic 126. Apart from him Murali Vijay too scored a gritty 82 as Indians declared at a score of 325/8. The Lankans needed 413 runs to win the match. The target was not going to be easy, and the duo of Ashwin (5) and Mishra (4) made it impossible for the hosts. The Lankans were bowled out for just 134 in their second innings as India won the test match by 278 runs and levelled the series 1-1. 

[Postscript- This was Virat Kohli's first test win as a Captain. Furthermore, this test also turned out to be the final test of Kumar Sangakkara who announced retirement from International Cricket post this match. Lastly Team India continued their red-hot form in the third test as well as they defeated Sri Lanka by 117 runs and won the series 2-1. It is interesting to note that this was India's first overseas test series victory since the 2011 tour in the West Indies. The Kohli Era has started.]