Virat Kohli on Friday marked his 100th Test by setting another batting record during the first Test of the ongoing India-Sri Lanka tackle series at PCA Stadium in Mohali on Friday. Kohli became the 6th Indian batsman to complete 8000 runs in Test cricket and the country’s 5th fastest batsman to reach that milestone.
Kohli joined the likes of Sachin Tendulkar (15921), Rahul Dravid (13288), Sunil Gavaskar (10122), VVS Laxman (8781) and Virender Sehwag (8586) after surpassing the 8000 run mark. Overall, Kohli has become the 33rd batter to have completed 8,000 career runs in Test cricket.
India vs Sri Lanka 1st Test Day 1 Live Results and Updates
Kohli is the 12th Indian to complete 100 Tests after Sachin Tendulkar (200), Rahul Dravid (163), VVS Laxman (134), Anil Kumble (132), Kapil Dev (131), Sunil Gavaskar (125), Dilip Vengsarkar (116), Sourav Ganguly (113), Ishant Sharma (105), Harbhajan Singh (103) and Virender Sehwag (103).
The crowd in the Indian city of Mohali cheered as Kohli went out to bat after the fall of Agarwal’s wicket, applauding every run the right-handed batsman scored.
The 33-year-old was also congratulated by the home board before the game started when great batsman and current Indian coach Rahul Dravid presented him with a commemorative hat and souvenir in the presence of his wife Anushka Sharma, a Bollywood actress.
What a moment to commemorate his 100th test appearance in white
Words of appreciation from Head Coach Rahul Dravid and words of thanks from @imVkohli#VK100 | #INDvSL | @Paytm pic.twitter.com/zfX0ZIirdz
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 4, 2022
India brought in batsmen Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer, replacing veteran duo Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, who were dropped for inconsistent performances. Vihari, battling in third place vacated by Pujara’s exclusion, looked solid and was unbeaten with Kohli at 30.
Virat Kohli has not scored an international score since November 2019, when he surpassed three figures in a day-night friendly against Bangladesh at home. Kohli’s form in Tests has taken a dip as he averages less than 45 since 2020. He’s only managed 760 runs in 14 Tests, including just 4 fifties.
The second and final test will be played under lights from March 12 in Bengaluru.
