Captain Virat Kohli leads from the front, Ajinkya Rahane follows

Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane shared a 133-run unbeaten stand to take India to 194/4 at stumps on Day 3.

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Vorat Kohli was unbeaten on 87 at the end of third day’s play at Kotla. (Source: AP)

So, after 10 days of Test cricket, we finally have a 100-run stand. Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane had put together a 70-run partnership in the first innings. On Saturday, they were still unseparated after putting on 133 runs for the fifth wicket. It slammed the door shut on South Africa, who might have had a glimmer of hope after reducing India to 57/4.

It could have been 57/5 but Imran Tahir had marginally overstepped. He had successfully won a caught behind appeal from umpire Bruce Oxenford, although there was no contact between bat and ball. Kohli was very unhappy. He stood there, giving a long, hard look at the umpire and muttering under his breath. The reaction might take him to the match referee’s chamber but the India captain was upset because he badly wanted to make an impression on his home turf. The no-ball check saved him and Kohli deserved that bit of fortune after being on the receiving end of a freak dismissal in the first dig. Also, he was batting very well.

The Feroz Shah Kotla pitch became slower on the third day. The ball was not coming on to the bat. But Kohli was still timing it beautifully. A back foot flick past square leg off Tahir was the shot of the day.

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And once again, Rahane was there at the other end to offer a calming presence. These two young men, the two pillars of Indian batting, like to bat with each other. It was evident during their 262-run association in the Boxing Day Test at MCG last year. Both Kohli and Rahane had scored hundreds (169 and 147 respectively) in that game. Today, the skipper finished on 83 not out, while Rahane was unbeaten on 52. It’s still early days, but every time they pair up in the middle, mind goes back to the ‘Fab Five’ era, when Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid had 20 century partnerships between them. Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, and Dravid and VVS Laxman had 12 each. They were greats of the game. Kohli and Rahane are worthy successors.

P.S.: It would be easy to tear into Rohit Sharma after yet another failure. Promoted to No. 3, a tactical decision, he got a golden duck this time around with Morkel breaching his defence with a peach of a delivery. Such a fine talent, Rohit’s continued struggles in Test cricket is baffling. Unlike Suresh Raina, the Mumbai boy doesn’t have any obvious weaknesses. Is it mental? Whatever it is, patience is wearing thin. India don’t have any Test assignment for the next six months. An audience with the India A coach might help the beleaguered middle-order batsman.

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