Run machine Virat Kohli continued his prolific run in the series to score his sixth double hundred at the historic Feroz Shah Kotla ground in New Delhi on the second day of the third Test match against Sri Lanka.
The batting duo of Rohit Sharma and Kohli added 135 runs for the fifth wicket before Sharma fell on the last ball before lunch to chinaman bowler Lakshan Sandakan for 65. India were 500/5 in 117.5 overs at lunch with Kohli batting on 225 not out.
The Indian skipper continued his march into cricket history books, picking up from where he left off the previous day, needing 44 runs more to reach the 200 mark. The Delhi crowd had come in healthy numbers to watch the local boy achieve this feat. As he pulled medium pacer Suranga Lakmal towards deep mid wicket to reach this milestone, he raised both his hands in a rather understated celebration, and acknowledged the crowd's standing ovation. The double ton came in 349 minutes, 238 balls and included 20 hits to the boundary. Kohli appeared to be struggling with a back niggle and had needed some attention in the first session for the same.
To put things in perspective regarding the tremendous form the Indian skipper has been in, all his six double hundreds have come in last 17 months. Kohli is currently the only test skipper with the highest number of Test hundreds to his name. West Indies's Brian Lara is second to score five Test double hundreds as skipper with the great Don Bradman, Michael Clarke from Australia and Graeme Smith of South Africa having scored four double tons as skippers.
Kohli is also only the second Indian batsman to score double hundreds in consecutive Test innings for India. The first being southpaw Vinod Kambli in 1993 (224 vs Eng, 227 vs Zim). Kohli had scored 213 against Sri Lanka in the previous Test match in Nagpur in the current series.
The Indian skipper is just 10 runs short of overtaking his highest Test score thus far of 235 which he scored against England in Mumbai in 2016.
