#INDvBAN: Virat Kohli overtakes Don Bradman, scales The Wall

It’s understandable if records do not excite Virat Kohli, for he must be so used to breaking — or setting — them. 

But the latest is bound to swell his chest with pride.     

The India captain surpassed the legendary Don Bradman on Friday, becoming the first player ever to score four double centuries in four consecutive Test series. The other man in the company of Bradman was Rahul Dravid. Kohli has surpassed both these stalwarts of the game in just his 54th Test.   

But unlike his previous double century against England in Mumbai two innings ago, there was no jumping or pumping his fist in the air by Kohli to mark the feat. 

After lofting Bangladesh left-arm spinner Taijul Islam over covers for four to move from 199 to 203, Kohli simply removed his helmet, hugged his partner Wriddhiman Saha, raised his arms towards the dressing room and showed the bat to the 12,402 spectators in attendance.

Kohli the batsman was as happy as Kohli the captain, and they both seem to complement each other really well. Kohli has raised the bar as a batsman after being a leader. As against a career batting average of 51.91, the corresponding figure rises up to 68.08 when he is in charge of the Indian Test team. 

That he has scored four double hundreds in his last 19 Test innings besides a 167 speaks volumes of how much he enjoys batting with the captaincy tag.

Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar was in awe of Kohli’s consistency in scoring double centuries. 

“The way he is going, and with age in his side, he can surely become India’s record holder for Test double centuries. He is supremely fit too,” Vengsarkar told DNA.

While Kohli is in the elite company of legendary Sunil Gavaskar with four Test double centuries, he should be able to go further higher. It will be a matter of time when he surpasses Rahul Dravid (5 double centuries), and Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag (six each). Don Bradman’s record of 12 Test double tons is not out of Kohli’s reach either.

Having been a teammate of Gavaskar and himself being a prolific scorer in Tests, Vengsarkar said: “Kohli takes pride in his performance. Facing the world’s best, one cannot afford his performance to slide. One has to be up with the performances all the time and Kohli’s will to carry on after scoring hundreds is evident. He is putting a price on his wicket and that shows in his hunger to score,” the former stylish batsman said.

What’s also clear is that 28-year-old loves to lead by example. Kohli does not ask of his teammates what he cannot himself do, allowing everyone to play with their natural instincts. Friday’s centurion Wriddhiman Saha endorsed that fact.

“Whenever one bats with Virat, he backs him. He would always tell you to play your natural game. ‘If you feel you can hit the ball, go for it. It is not that if you are new to the crease you have to defend’, is his advice,” Saha, who scored 106 not out, said.

Even before the one-off Bangladesh Test began, India’s next opponents Australia have already been discussing ways to stop Kohli’s record-breaking spree. 

However, records don’t matter for Kohli. It is for the statisticians to dig up and update with every milestone that the Indian skipper is set to make. For him, leading from the front matters. For him, winning cricket games matters.

As long as he does that, records, and indeed results, will take care of themselves.