Test double ton is great, but West Indies not Kohli's biggest test

Virat Kohli made a smooth transition from limited overs cricket to Tests, but sadly, the Caribbeans couldn't do likewise.

The Indian captain registered his maiden Test double century on Friday, June 22, scoring a sparkling 200 off 283 deliveries against a hapless West Indian bowling attack. A strike rate of 71 and 24 hits to the fence is proof of his complete domination of the bowling.

In the process, Kohli broke Mohammad Azharuddin's 26-year-old record to become the first Indian captain to score a double hundred overseas.

Kohli's fairytale form with the bat this year started with the limited overs series Down Under. The Asia Cup, World T20 and the Indian Premier League (IPL) followed, and there was absolutely nobody who knew how to contain him. No bowler was spared. He clobbered them all.

Also read: Who does Virat Kohli think he is?

Then he went and grooved to AR Rahman's beats for the promotion of Premier Futsal, and now, he is back to clobbering bowlers (though the artist that Kohli is, he may not be exactly "clobbering" bowlers. Let's leave that method of batting to our very own Mahi, shall we? Kohli is more about deft touch and placement, but the results are equally devastating.)

An emotional Kohli bent down and kissed the pitch after he got to his milestone at Antigua on Friday and it showed how much it meant to him. What it also showed is that he is hungry for more. An ominous sign for bowlers. Even after scoring tonnes of runs this year already, Kohli is not satisfied. It is a sign of a true champion.

However, let's not go overboard in celebrating Kohli's feat. Granted that scoring a Test double century, that too on foreign soil is no mean feat, but perhaps even Kohli would have been more satisfied had it come against a stronger opposition.

Also read: I hate Virat Kohli (and so should you)

This West Indian bowling attack comprising Jason Holder, Kraigg Brathwaite, Carlos Brathwaite, Devendra Bisoo, Roston Chase and Shannon Gabriel is one of the weakest in recent memory. It is certainly not upto Test standard. It is a pale shadow of what West Indian bowling attacks used to be over the years.

So it was probably expected that Kohli, considering the form that he is in, would score big against such a meek opposition.

What would really be satisfying for him would be an innings where he would have to EARN his runs in trying conditions, when his team is in a spot of bother. Something like what VVS Laxman did at the Eden Gardens against Australia 15 years ago. Or even close.

That's why Kohli would probably rate his 169 against Australia in the Kangaroos' own backyard as higher than his double century on Friday.

Also these days it has almost become par for the course that Kohli would score a century on most times that he goes out to bat and also occasionally, a double century. So the century by Ravichandran Ashwin would probably create more flutter than Kohli's double ton.

The other side of the Kohli story that needs to be focussed on is his captaincy.

He didn't have the best of times captaining in ODIs in regular skipper MS Dhoni's absence when India toured the West Indies in 2013.

"I realised that managing eleven internationals is a lot different from dealing with seven domestic players and four internationals, as in the IPL. Also, you are playing against eleven internationals and you can't afford to give them too many chances. I know I should maintain my calm and composure, and not be as expressive as I used to be when I was just a player," he said.

But later he was able to compose himself and led his team to the final of the tri-series.

As the full-time Test captain now, he is totaly at ease with himself. What he brings to the table is controlled aggression.

This was on display in ample measure during India's historic series win in Sri Lanka and also the 3-0 win over South Africa at home, both last year. He has shown that he is never shy of taking a strong decisions.

Virat Kohli indeed has the potential to take India to the next level, both with his bat and his brain. He has been able to share the spotlight with Rajinikanth on a day the iconic actor's new movie was released, and that takes some doing. Perhaps we can say Kohli is the Rajinikanth of Indian cricket, for both, it seems, can do no wrong.

However, let's not forget that this West Indian side is not much of a test for Kohli.