Australia vs India 2018: 'Absolute Masterpiece from Kohli at Perth' - Sourav Ganguly

2018 has been all about Virat Kohli; be it the Edgbaston hundred, the Cape Town masterclass or a ton at the new Optus Stadium in Perth. Meanwhile, during day three of the second Test match, the India captain notched up his  25th Test century; his first at the very venue. Among the many applauders, one was ex-India skipper, Sourav Ganguly who hailed Kohli’s hundred as the ‘masterpiece’.

Dada in awe of Virat’s Perth hundred

Even in the past, Ganguly had mentioned that Tendulkar’s 1992 century at the WACA was perhaps his best; and keeping that in context, Sourav hailed king Kohli for his Perth hundred.

In his congratulatory tweet to the India captain, Sourav mentioned he is fortunate to watch two of the greatest batsmen, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli score respective tons. Meanwhile, Ganguly further said he didn’t watch Bradman and Sobers play, and thus named them (Sachin & Virat) the greatest.

Absolute masterpiece from kohli at Perth .. @bcci @imVkohli .. two of my greatest I have seen play .. Tendulkar and kohli (not seen bradman or sobers play live )…

— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) December 16, 2018

However, the journey towards reaching the ton wasn’t too smooth for Kohli. Though the right-hander has had a fantastic 2018 in regards to runs, Kohli still faced some trouble while batting. The India captain initially scored a few boundaries before taking the backseat in the last session on day two. At stumps, he was unbeaten on 81, and early on day three, he completed the formalities.

A straight drive off Starc saw Virat Kohli hit the three-digit mark. Moments later, he celebrated it with, ‘let my bat do the talking’ sign towards the crowd. However, his manner of dismissal left the cricketing world in two halves; with one backing the catch while the others were showing anger at the decision.

India all-out on 283, trails by 43 runs

Meanwhile, Sourav Ganguly was left highly impressed with Kohli’s masterpiece at the Optus stadium. Moreover, India’s first innings got wrapped up on 283, courtesy a five-for for Nathan Lyon. The off-spinner though has been lethal against India in this series. Despite remaining unbeaten in all three innings, Nathan Lyon has got 13 wickets.