Childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma praises Virat Kohli for his batting masterclass in the Mumbai Test

Usually, in most households, Sunday mornings are spent lazily. Rising up later than usual, not thinking too much about the hustle bustle of the week to follow are some of the things that we all characterise the day with.

However, yesterday was a different Sunday for a reason. There was anticipation in the air as Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli was 53 short of scoring a double hundred in the fourth Test against England at the Wankhede Stadium.

And so, most cricket enthusiasts were up early to see if their favourite star can get to the mark and the right-hander did not disappoint them, getting there before the lunch interval and eventually falling for 235, post the break.

It was a superb innings from the Delhi batsman, who has been in the form of his life in 2016 and with one more Test to go, will hope to end the year on a high.

Speaking after his splendid performance, Kohli’s childhood coach at the West Delhi Cricket Academy Rajkumar Sharma praised his ward for the effort and added that he adapted to the match situation very well.

“He adapts very well. Rashid was bowling with six fielders on the on side and that is why he opened his stance so that he can find the gaps better. Anderson and Woakes were bowling with a seven-two field (seven on the off side). He took a middle-stump stance because he wanted them to bowl closer, otherwise they would bowl a negative line. If you keep leaving (the balls), then how are you going to win the match? That is why he stood on middle stump.

“It has come under difficult batting conditions. Chasing 400 is never easy and England always wanted to bounce back in the series. It was a good innings under pressure. It was a big responsibility,” he told the Hindustan Times post his knock on Sunday.

Extra Cover: This is probably my second best Test innings, says Virat Kohli after Mumbai win

Kohli has made a conscious effort to not sixes in Tests: Coach

Right throughout the knock, Kohli ensured that he took minimal risks and so lofted very shots in the air. Revealing the reason behind this tactic, Sharma said that the right-hander intended to keep the ball on the ground as much as he could.

“He has made a conscious effort to not hit sixes in Test cricket. He has all the shots to score runs, so why take any risk of playing the ball in the air. His intention is to play along the ground as much as possible,” he said.

Both teams now to Chennai for the fifth and final Test of the series, scheduled to begin from the 16^th of December.