Ton-up Virat Kohli puts India in a dominant position in third Test

India skipper Virat Kohli celebrates his century against England on Day Three of the third Test at Trent Bridge yesterday. Pic/Getty Images

Virat Kohli's hunger for runs along with his ruthlessness as a leader has put India on verge of victory after three days at Trent Bridge. The Indian captain blasted his 23rd Test century and the second of the series to set England an improbable target of 521. By stumps, England had slashed the target to 498 and ensured no damage to the wickets column.

While it were the Indian bowlers that had the final laugh at the close of play, it was their skipper that savoured himself in glory. Resuming on his overnight score of eight, Kohli demonstrated his appetite for runs and his dedication to imply mercy on the opposition. For the first hour, he was watchful, scoring 14 in 34 balls before upping the tempo in the second hour of the morning session.

It started with a vintage cover drive and a lovely glide past point as he scored 28 of the next 25 balls to bring up his half-century. Alongside him, Chesteshwar Pujara battled hard and grew in confidence with each defensive prod. There were some delightful flicks along the way as he restored his confidence by scoring his first half-century in 16 innings. By the time Pujara was dismissed for 72 after he nicked an out-swinger to first slip, the lead had already grown to 382.

However, Kohli had no intentions to declare as he continued to rub salt into the wound. He was brutal against Adil Rashid and kept rotating the strike with deft touches and glides. The ball continued to zip off the pitch, but Kohli was resolute and decisive. On 93, he had a touch of luck as Keaton Jennings spilled England's 15th catch in the series.

Five balls later, Kohli reached his 23rd century and eliminated any doubts about who is the best batsman in the world today. Hardik Pandya then blasted a run-a-ball fifty to push the lead past 500 before India eventually declared their second innings on 352-7. With a mammoth total to defend, Indian bowlers went for the jugular. Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma made the new ball talk, but Alistair Cook (9') and Keaton Jennings (13) survived.

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