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Indore Test: Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane shatter records on Day 2

Rohan Raj | Updated on: 10 February 2017, 1:47 IST

Having ended Day 1 at a solid 267 for three, Team India continued to add to the woes of the visiting New Zealanders with skipper Virat Kohli (211) and Ajinkya Rahane (188) achieving their personal milestones on the second day of the third Test at the Holkar Cricket stadium, Indore on 9 October.

Kohli and Rahane, who shared an unbroken 167-run stand on Day 1, continued to torment the opposition bowlers as the duo extended their monumental partnership to 356 runs for the fourth wicket.

While Kohli became the first Indian captain to record two double-hundreds, partner Rahane notched up his first-ever 150 in the longest version of the game.

Both batsmen appeared to be complete control and complemented each other with their respective innings. While Rahane appeared to be more aggressive on the second day - hitting four sixes, his captain showed great temperament in working the ball into gaps without taking any risks.

Their partnership finally came to an end at 365 runs after Jeetan Patel trapped Kohli in front of the stumps. It was the very first over after tea that witnessed Kohli's dismissal at a score of 211. A few overs later, Rahane followed his skipper back in after being dismissed by Trent Boult, just 12 runs shy of his double-ton.

Kohli's record-breaking double-hundred

The Indian Test captain - who struggled with scores of 44, 3, 4, 9, 18, 9, 45 in his last seven Test innings - silenced his critics with a stunning double hundred on the second day's play. In the process, Kohli became the first Indian to score two double-tons as captain in Test cricket.

The right-hander, who notched up his second double-hundred this year, reached the milestone in 347 balls alongside 18 classy boundaries. He reached his hundred in the last session of Day 1 yesterday and remained unbeaten on 103.

Before this match, Kohli played 17 innings without scoring a Test hundred at home. His last home century was against Australia at Chepauk in February 2013. Kohli scored three centuries in his first 13 Test innings at home but none in the 17 subsequent knocks before Saturday.

Rahane's Test feat

The Mumbai batsman achieved a personal milestone on Day 2 after he registered his first-ever 150 in Test cricket. Rahane notched up his 150 in the 133rd over when he whacked Jimmy Neesham over covers for a sizzling boundary.

He took 300 balls to reach the milestone and smashed 14 fours and four sixes in the process. Earlier on Day 1, the right-hander became the 36th Indian to cross the milestone of 2,000 runs in Test cricket. He achieved the feat in his 49th Test innings.

Rahane is also the fastest Indian to reach 2,000 Test runs. Gautam Gambhir (43 innings) and Cheteshwar Pujara (46 innings) are the only batsman in the current Indian line-up who have achieved the feat faster than Rahane.

His second 1,000 runs have come in 24 innings, a shade better than the 25 he took for the first set. His average is currently the fourth-best among them.

The record-breaking partnership

Kohli and Rahane stitched a game-changing partnership of 365 runs for the fourth wicket that pegged back the Kiwis who were looking to press on after three early dismissals.

It was the highest partnership for India for the fourth wicket in Tests, surpassing the 353-run stand between Sachin Tendulker and VVS Laxman against Australia in 2004.

The two were also on the cusp of recording India's highest-ever partnership for any wicket in the longest format, but eventually fell short by 48 runs. The record for the highest-ever partnership is held by Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy, who shared a 413-run stand against New Zealand at home in 1956.

As far as the highest partnership for the fourth wicket in Test history is concerned, the two Indian batsmen fell short by 84 runs. Australia's Adam Voges and Shaun Marsh continue to reign supreme for their record 449-run stand against West Indies in 2015.

First published: 9 October 2016, 4:03 IST