Kohli holds fort for India

Johannesburg – Virat Kohli tamed South Africa’s fast bowlers with a stroke-filled innings of 84 not out as India reached 164 for four at tea on the first day of the first Test at the Wanderers yesterday. Kohli, filling the number four batting position vacated by the recently-retired Sachin Tendulkar, came in with India in trouble at 24 for two.

Kohli was the dominant partner in a third-wicket stand of 89 with Cheteshwar Pujara (25) which went a long way towards justifying captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s decision to bat first on a pitch which is renowned for giving assistance to fast bowlers on the first morning but which also gives value to batsmen prepared to play their strokes.

The partnership ended with a mix-up which led to the patient Pujara being run out after making 25 off 98 balls.
Kohli played leg-spinner Imran Tahir towards midwicket and set off for a run, only to send Pujara back as Tahir scurried to pick up the ball.

Hashim Amla backed up at the bowler’s end and broke the stumps with Pujara well out.
Rohit Sharma, who made centuries in his only two previous Test innings, against the West Indies in India, was caught behind off Vernon Philander for 14 shortly before tea.

Kohli, though, played a wide variety of attacking strokes, hitting 14 boundaries in a 111-ball innings. He reached his fifty off 76 balls with nine fours.

Earlier Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel took a wicket apiece as the Indian batsmen were subjected to a testing examination from the South African pace attack.

Steyn dismissed Shikhar Dhawan for 13 and Morkel claimed the wicket of Dhawan’s fellow opening batsman, Murali Vijay, for six.
For the first half hour, Dhoni’s confidence seemed justified as Vijay in particular showed good judgment in leaving as many balls as possible and defending solidly when necessary.

But the left-handed Dhawan showed vulnerability against some well-directed short-pitched bowling from Steyn. After a couple of false strokes, Dhawan top-edged a hook to backward square leg where Imran Tahir took a good catch.

Morkel, who came on as first change, gave Vijay a torrid time with some sharply-lifting deliveries before having Vijay caught behind by AB de Villiers off a fuller one. Vijay had only two scoring strokes in making six off 42 balls.

Meanwhile, maintaining a stranglehold over England batsman Kevin Pietersen gives Peter Siddle a great deal of personal pleasure, the Australian paceman said yesterday.

Siddle dismissed Pietersen for the 10th time in tests when the flamboyant batsman mistimed a pull and was caught by a leaping Mitchell Johnson in the first innings at Perth.

“He’s obviously inflicted a lot of pain on us over the years, so to see the back of him is always nice,” Siddle told reporters a day after Australia took an unassailable 3-0 lead to claim the Ashes back from England.

“To be the one to get him, it does bring a lot of joy to myself personally, but also the team.”
An in-form Pietersen can tear apart any bowling attack and Siddle said he relished the challenge of bowling to the best in the business.-Supersport.