Virat Kohli's century at Edgbaston testament to his skill, fitness levels, says childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma

Virat Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma has said that the Indian captain’s first Test century in England was the result of a balance between skill and fitness. Speaking to CricketNext, Sharma said that he was extremely pleased with Kohli’s gutsy knock and believes that it was “one of his best innings”. Kohli’s 225-ball 149 helped India to within 13 runs off England’s first innings total of 287. [caption id=“attachment_4887341” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Virat Kohli scored his first Test century in England on Day 2 of the first Test. AFP/Adrian Dennis[/caption] “Scoring hundreds isn’t something new, but to counter the pressure put by the English bowlers and to show the determination that he did brought a smile to my face. I have been hearing a lot about how this was the biggest test that awaited Kohli. I am happy that he silenced them with the bat,” Sharma said. Before the Test series, fans and pundits had wondered how Kohli would fare in the seaming conditions in England after his disastrous tour of 2014. Four years ago, Kohli endured a torrid time at the hands of James Anderson and Co and could only manage 134 runs in five matches. However, Sharma believes that Kohli has silenced his critics with his first ton on English soil. Sharma said that Kohli’s supreme fitness levels and his running between the wickets were key to the Indian skipper’s ton. “If you saw the innings yesterday, you would have seen how he was constantly stealing singles, converting singles into doubles. In an innings that lasted 225 balls, you can only do that when you are supremely fit. The point that needs to be noted is that Kohli spends as much time working on his cricketing skills as he does on improving his fitness,” Sharma said.   With Same Curran and Ben Stokes looking in good nick, Sharma praised Kohli for his patience and the way he never let the pressure get to him.