Poked by Kohli, Bairstow thrills with hundred

Words exchanged between the former India skipper and the in-form England batter only saw the latter step it up, hitting a rapid century for the third Test in a row.

There have been many chirpers in the slip cordon but none quite like Virat Kohli. He makes no pretence of not coming at you. And he can be unrelenting. The stump microphone may not pick half the things said but Kohli ensures he is heard by the batters. That dagger look replete with dark shades, sharp jawline and motor mouth--he keeps needling till the batter bites and retaliates, often to his detriment. Not Jonny Bairstow though on Sunday. Not this time.

Jonny Bairstow with Virat Kohli(AP)

Morning session with the ball doing a bit from both ends on Day 3 of the final Test at Edgbaston, Bairstow was living on the edge. An expansive attempt to drive Mohammed Shami and he was beaten by a curler that snaked between bat and ball, almost kissing off-stump. Before that, Jasprit Bumrah got him to chase one that seamed away after pitching short of length. In-swing, out-swing, beaten—Bairstow’s batting was hit-and-miss on a loop. Everything about that precarious phase suggested that only an edge stood between England and a batting implosion.

Cue Kohli—he has more or less been directing traffic despite Bumrah being officially in charge--to fan the turmoil. A few words here, a gesture there and Bairstow quickly turned around to give it back. Kohli didn’t need another invitation to walk up to Bairstow and let go a torrent of words. The umpires had to intervene, and so did skipper Ben Stokes.

And within an over, with characteristic understatement, Kohli brushed it off as if nothing had transpired. A friendly punch on Bairstow’s arm, a reassuring laugh with Stokes and Kohli was walking back with a satisfied look. He knew he had lit a fuse, and that edge was just a matter of time. So, when Bairstow tried a massive drive to be beaten by Shami’s outswing again, no one hooted more than Kohli. The plan was working, India must have felt.

All it did was fire up Bairstow.

When Bumrah tested his drive with a fuller delivery, Bairstow deliberately didn’t keep it down, clearing mid-off in the process. Next over, to Shami, Bairstow again chipped a length ball over mid-off for another boundary. That counter also happened to coincide with the first change of bowling, bringing Mohammed Siraj into the line of fire. Fourth ball of his first over, Siraj did no wrong pitching it slightly short of length, but Bairstow still managed to punch him through midwicket for four. The in-form England batter threw the kitchen sink at the next, wider delivery, just about getting enough meat on it to send through. Two consecutive fours off Shami in the next over and Bairstow was looking his old self again.

From 16 off 64, Bairstow raced to 50 off 81 balls. Stokes was dismissed in the same over Bairstow reached fifty but it didn’t apply the brakes on scoring. There was plenty in his 106 that will be fairly easy to recall for the next few days. Like Trent Bridge, like Headingley. Right from those two consecutive fours off Shardul Thakur to a jaw-dropping swat off a short ball from Siraj over backward square-leg for six, Bairstow looked like a man possessed, looking to single-handedly pull England through.

Kohli had gone quiet by then, silenced rather by that terrific onslaught. Four off Thakur, a massive six over deep midwicket the next ball, Bairstow was going about the carnage with a single-minded approach. It was an innings of clean, powerful hitting, of unhurried intelligence that, who knows, may have set back India’s victory by a session or more.