To be able to ton up on my birthday is a stuff of dreams – Virat Kohli

It was Virat Kohli’s 35th birthday and the Indian star achieved a historic feat which saw him equalling Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI centuries which also made the Master Blaster tweet a heartfelt message for the Indian run-machine.

Walking out to bat at a decent juncture, Kohli negated the early storm and stabilized the Indian ship alongside Shreyas Iyer before he would eventually switch gears to start hammering away at volition against the Proteas bowlers. He stayed unbeaten for a brilliant 101 that allowed India to take their tally to a staggering 326 that proved to be a bit too much for the Proteas.

At the end of the first innings, Virat Kohli gave a prolonged interview to Star Sports which captured the essence of the innings perfectly and also issued ominous warnings to the South Africans about the imminent disaster that proved to be their undoing at the Eden Gardens.

Talking about the overall innings, Kohli said, “It was a wicket that was tricky to bat on. We got a great start. My job was to keep the momentum going when I got in. But after ten overs, the ball started gripping and the wicket started slowing down. My role was to bat deep and till the end after the openers fell because that's what I've done, that was the communication as well - to have guys bat around me.”

He also shed some light about that crucial partnership with Shreyas Iyer, adding, “Shreyas started hitting well as well. We were not thinking we would get to 326 but that's what happens when you dig deep and take the game into the last few overs. Shreyas and I had a lot of practice sessions before the Asia Cup and invariably batted together at 3 and 4. Both of us are comfortable against spinners. Both of us are comfortable rotating strike against spinners, credit to him for putting away bad balls.”

Kohli concluded, “When you lose two wickets and don't have Hardik, you need to bat deep and get to a stage where the opposition feels like we have to restrict them. Every opportunity to play for India is a big one, to be able to ton up on my birthday is a dream. Grateful to God that I've been blessed with such moments.”