"Ruturaj Gaikwad went far ahead, but he wasn't affected by that at all" - Former India coach lauds Virat Kohli's century in IND vs SA 2025 2nd ODI

Former India coach Sanjay Bangar has lauded Virat Kohli for scoring a well-planned century in the second ODI against South Africa. He noted that the ace batter wasn't swayed by Ruturaj Gaikwad's aggressive approach and was willing to play second fiddle to his junior partner.

Kohli scored 102 runs off 93 deliveries as India posted 358/5 after being asked to bat first in Raipur on Wednesday, December 3. However, his knock couldn't help the hosts register a win as the visitors achieved the target with four wickets and as many deliveries to spare, keeping the series alive heading into the final ODI.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Bangar praised Kohli for pacing his innings perfectly.

"Today's (Wednesday's) innings was special because after the first 20 runs, he understood the pitch was such that the South African bowlers might not be able to dismiss him if he didn't make a mistake. When he got a player like Ruturaj Gaikwad at the other end, who was pacing his innings extremely well, things became easier for him," the former India all-rounder said.

"He played second fiddle. Ruturaj Gaikwad went far ahead, but he wasn't affected by that at all. He increased the pace whenever he wished. Although he hit fewer sixes, his strike rate was higher in today's innings. This is an incredible thing," he added.

Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad stitched together a 195-run third-wicket partnership. The latter smashed 105 runs off 83 deliveries with the help of 12 fours and two sixes.

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"Once he smells a chance, he makes the most of it" - Sanjay Bangar on Virat Kohli scoring back-to-back centuries

Virat Kohli had scored a century in the first ODI in Ranchi as well. [P/C: BCCI/X]

In the same discussion, Sanjay Bangar noted that Virat Kohli doesn't fritter away a chance to score a century, especially in ODIs.

"He figured out the conditions, and especially in this format, once he smells a chance, he makes the most of it. So his batting was like that, and we got to see that consistency and drive," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the modern batting great put in the hard yards in the nets before replicating his performance from the first ODI.

"In the last four days, he first scored a century, traveled, then practiced for one-and-a-half hours the next day, and then came here and repeated that. Cut, paste, repeat - it's a magic word for any player. Virat Kohli showed that by replicating it again," Bangar observed.

Virat Kohli struck seven fours and two sixes during his 102-run knock in the second ODI against South Africa. He had scored a 120-ball 135 in India's 17-run win in the series opener in Ranchi on Sunday (November 30), a knock studded with 11 fours and seven sixes.