Kohli goes the 'Sachin' way as his partnership with Rahane poses double trouble for Kiwis

There is a lot common between batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and India Test captain Virat Kohli. The obvious being that the Delhi batsman has been chosen as the ideal successor to bat at No 4 for India in Tests. Both believed in aggressive batting and the hard work that they put into their preparations.

There is another but very important aspect that could relate the current Indian batting sensation with the retired legend.

Remember that masterpiece 241 by Tendulkar in 2004 at Sydney Cricket Ground where he abstained from playing a single cover drive till he reached double hundred? That shot was a sort of curse for the batsman as he used to get out quickly playing the shot earlier in the series.

Kohli did something similar. No, he did not stop driving. In the last few innings, the No. 4 batsman would get out playing shots like sweeps and pulls that would send him back despite getting good starts.

When he came to Indore, he was determined not to play them. He did exactly that. On Day One of the third Test, he was back among runs with a fine century. On the second day, he doubled his joy with a masterclass 211.

Along with 'Mr Dependable' Ajinkya Rahane, who cracked a solid 188, Kohli guided India to a commanding position against New Zealand at the Holkar Stadium on Sunday.

After nine hours of stay at the crease, Kohli was out leg before wicket to Jeetan Patel. While trying to push the ball off the backfoot to the on side, the ball turned square and he was caught plumb, ending his 366-ball knock studded with 20 boundaries.

The 23,000-plus crowd was fortunate to witness a record 365-run stand for the fourth wicket between India's captain and his deputy as the hosts declared at 557/5. It was India's highest ever fourth-wicket partnership and fifth overall.

New Zealand were 28/0 at the end of the day, facing a tall order in order to save the Test.

Rohit Sharma, too, joined the party with a quickfire 51, his second successive half-century, and third of the series, following 68* in the second innings of the first Test in Kanpur and 82 in the second innings of the second Test in Kolkata.

Coming into the second day, big knocks from Kohli and Rahane were on the cards., thanks to the pitch that helped the batsmen on the first day.

Having come into the game with a dry run, Kohli gave the signs of his return to form with an unbeaten 104 the previous day. Sunday's knock was a kind of a statement that showed that all was well with his batting.

Kohli had a cautious approach but was confident enough in driving the ball elegantly through the off and the flicks on leg. Apart from one false shot against Patel when the ball went over the top of his stumps after touching the toe of his bat, Kohli played a flawless knock.

So confident was he of scoring with the straight bat that he did not step out even once to the spinners.

Rahane, on the other hand, wasn't afraid to play his strokes. Even the good ball was thrashed if the need arose. There was struggle, too, for Rahane as he had to deal with the bouncers. He countered them well, having taken some tough blows. The Mumbai batsman completed his eighth century with a flick off seamer Trent Boult, following it up by raising his bat in celebrations.

While the 'jugalbandi' continued between the two, in the process Kohli went on to score his second double ton of the season, becoming the first Indian captain to do so.

However, one would feel sorry for the New Zealand bowlers who had no clue as to how to separate the two Indians on song. Every plan was sorted out easily. Even the spinners, though managed enough turn, were not rewarded as the slowness of the surface saw the batsmen play with ease.

Kohli's double ton also gave a hope of another one coming from Rahane. But the Mumbaikar did not fulfil the expectations as he got out while trying to slash Boult, ending up giving a catch to wicket-keeker BJ Watling.

Sharma, too, revelled on the tired Kiwis attack, enjoying a 53-run stand for the unbroken sixth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja, who was sent ahead of R Ashwin and Wriddhisman Saha to aaccelerate the scoring as declaration was on the cards.