West Indies’ tale of struggle continued on the second day of the first Test in Rajkot as India posted 506 runs on the board, at a loss of 5 wickets by the end of the 1st session. Skipper Virat Kohli was batting bravely on 120 and was accompanied with Ravindra Jadeja who remained unbeaten on 19.
After resuming the game at 364/4, India carried on their run-scoring in a similar momentum as of the first day. Kohli and Pant made the Windies bowlers toil hard for a wicket and kept on piling up runs on the board.
The duo from Delhi did a magnificent job at the crease. Pant, who was playing just the fourth Test of his international career, slammed the first half-century on the Indian soil which he claimed with a huge six. After reaching this milestone, the 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman shifted the gear and was heading towards his 2nd century at a strike rate of over 100.
Then came the moment when Virat Kohli scripted a new chapter in the history book of Indian cricket. The Indian skipper slammed the 24th century of his Test career with a boundary and surpassed the cricketing legends with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Steve Smith. He eventually became the 2nd fastest batsman to get 24th Test ton and is currently the highest run-scorer in whites in 2018.
The duo of amassed 133 runs for the 5th wicket before Pant gave away his wicket to Devendra Bishoo in attempt to play a lofted shot. His wicket came at the brisk of the lunch break and he missed his 2nd Test ton by mere 8 runs.
Before the umpires called for the lunch break, India have crossed the 500-run mark and Kohli was joined by spinner Ravindra Jadeja at the crease.
Brief Scores:
India 1st Innings: 506/5 in 118 overs (Virat Kohli 120 batting, Rishabh Pant 92, Prithvi Shaw 134, Devendra Bishoo 2/154).