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After participating in the two-match Test series in South Africa, star batter Virat Kohli returned to India on Sunday.
He was spotted at the Mumbai airport, where he happily posed for the shutterbugs. Virat looked uber cool in a brown T-shirt that he paired with white pants, a blue denim jacket and a cool cap. Speaking of the Test series, Virat showed exceptional performance in both matches. While every other batter struggled for boundaries and runs throughout the series, the batter found gaps at will and played with a fresh and attacking intent. The biggest example was during the first Test at Centurion. While Team India collapsed like a pack of cards in an attempt to fight back a first innings 163-run lead, Virat played his shots with freedom, seeming to play on a different surface. He scored 76 in 82 balls, with 12 fours and a six at a strike rate of 92.68. In the first innings, he scored 38 in 64 balls, with five fours at a strike rate of over 59. In the second Test, Virat scored 46 in 59 balls, with six fours and a six, at a strike rate of 77.59. But fans did not really get to see Virat taking off truly as India collapsed from 153/4 to 153 all out. While chasing 79 to win, Virat was dismissed for 12 in 11 balls, with two fours at a strike rate of over 109. Virat ended the series as second-highest run-getter and India's highest run-getter, with 172 runs in four innings at an average of 43.00, with a half-century. He scored at a strike rate of 79.62, the highest among India batters. He outdid his strike rates of 2020 (40.98), 2021 (44.07) and 2022 (39.43) and 2023 (54.73), with the phase of 2020-22 being one of a painful, long slump in which Kohli struggled for a Test century and sometimes, even runs. As of now in 2024, Virat's Test strike rate for this calendar year is 82.25 after two innings. (ANI)
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