Ian Bishop noted his desire to see future West Indian hitters imitating Kohli’s excellence while praising the Indian’s work ethic.
When Virat Kohli dived to make his crease, West Indies great Ian Bishop was unable to maintain composure. When Kohli came sprinting back for the second ball of their apparent easy two in the 72nd over with partner Ravindra Jadeja, he realized he was in danger. Kohli made a completely extended dive to ensure the completion of his run as the fielder’s throw from third man was coming in fast. This crazy piece of commitment made Bishop jump out of his seat, with the former West Indies pacer hailing Kohli’s ‘desperation’ even after having achieved almost everything that there is.
“Absolutely fantastic. You like to see that level of desperation in your batting and batsmanship. This game is a test. In one-day or white-ball situations, you occasionally see players acting in a desperate manner, but in a Test match, this player has played in 500 international games and is aware of the importance of every run. putting his life at risk and diving to ensure his entry. Bishop paused the game and stated, “That tells you how desperately he wants whatever he gets out of this innings.
After West Indies took 4 wickets in the second session, India had 288/4 at stumps with Kohli still unbeaten on 87. After bringing up their respective half-centuries, Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal, it was Kohli’s turn to peel off back-to-back fifties and, together with Jadeja (36 not out), lead India to safety. Virender Sehwag was surpassed by Kohli to become India’s fifth-highest run scorer in Tests, fifth-highest run scorer in international cricket, and the fifth-highest run scorer by a batter starting at No. 4 in Tests. Only 13 runs separate Kohli from his 29th Test century, which would make his 500th India appearance all the more memorable.
