Kohli hits 26th Test hundred as India reach 356 for 3 at lunch on day 2
Pune: Skipper Virat Kohli blended grace with sheer determination on way to his 26th Test hundred, leading India to 356 for 3 at lunch on day two of the second Test against South Africa here on Friday.
Kohli, during his unbeaten 104, was an epitome of concentration and with the dependable vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane (58 batting) for company, grinded the South African attack in the wicketless session that could well give India the decisive upperhand in the game.
A beautiful straight drive off Vernon Philander brought up Indian captain's 69th international hundred and the celebration was more about contentment than elation. Not for once did he look in any sort of hurry to complete the milestone as he respected the good deliveries.
The Kohli-Rahane duo added 158 runs for the unbroken fourth wicket stand and South Africa will certainly feel dejected as their bowlers put up a good show even though the scoreboard suggested otherwise. While Kohli's 183-ball innings had 16 fours, Rahane also had eight hits to the fence in 161 deliveries.Kagiso Rabada (3/65 in 24 overs) and Vernon Philander (0/54 in 24 overs), for the second day in a row, bowled a probing first spell without much luck.
Credit to the India skipper and his deputy for the manner in which they negotiated the first hour.
Kohli, in particular, was leaving anything that Rabada bowled on the off-stump channel for the first few overs. The only blemish was fishing at an away swinger from Philander, which a diving wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock failed to latch on to.
The bowler's back-drive off Rabada came soon after as Kohli started opening up. Anrich Nortje also again tried to bowl short but Kohli played his trademark short-arm pull in-front of the wicket.
Kohli entered into the 90's by deliberately opening the face of his bat and using the pace in Nortje' delivery to get a boundary in the third man region.
Nortje's extra pace was also well-utilised by Rahane also as he rode the bounce to play a couple of square cuts. Having survived a DRS appeal off Keshav Maharaj's innings, Rahane finally completed his 20th half-century with a single off Nortje's bowling.
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Finland's President Stubb kicks off 4-day visit to India; trade, innovation top agenda
New Delhi (PTI): Finnish President Alexander Stubb began a four-day visit to India on Wednesday to bolster bilateral cooperation across a wide spectrum of areas, including trade, investment and critical technology.
Stubb will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday following which the two sides are expected to firm up a number of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to boost cooperation in a number of sectors.
The crisis in West Asia is likely to figure prominently in the meeting.
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"The visit will further strengthen the relations between Finland and India, including in the area of trade," Stubb said before leaving for New Delhi.
The Finnish president will grace as the chief guest at the inaugural session of the Raisina Dialogue on Thursday evening.
Stubb was accorded a warm welcome at the airport by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh.
"India and Finland share a warm and friendly relationship rooted in shared democratic values. President Stubb's visit will impart further energy to India-Finland relations," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on social media.
The Finnish president is accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising ministers, senior officials and business leaders.
Stubb's visit to India comes weeks after Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo travelled to New Delhi for the AI Impact Summit.
The Finnish president will also meet President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President C P Radhakrishnan.
Stubb will travel to Mumbai on Friday where he is scheduled to meet several business leaders. The Finnish leader will conclude his visit on Saturday.
