Virat Kohli crushes Brian Lara’s incredible record, feat goes unnoticed as milestones galore in IND vs AUS 4th Test
Shubman Gill was the standout figure for India on the third day of the fourth Test with his second century in the longest format of the game but it was Virat Kohli who ensured that the hosts remained steady towards the end of the day.
Kohli looked completely in control throughout the final session and went on to score his first Test half-century in 16 innings. With the pitch expected to continue to be good for batters, the former India captain will be hoping that he can convert this into a first Test century in nearly four years.
Kohli went past 4000 Test runs in India over the course of his innings. He became the third fastest to reach the mark in the country, having got there in 77 innings, and thus went past current India head coach Rahul Dravid (88) and the legendary Sunil Gavaskar (87). Kohli needed 42 runs to reach the milestone and he got there in the final session with a boundary off Nathan Lyon. Kohli also has an average of 58.82 in India, which is the highest among batters who have scored 4000 Test runs in the country.
Interestingly enough, Kohli had also made a move in another big list which went rather unnoticed compared to his milestone for runs in India and the fact that this was his first Test half-century in nearly 14 months. Kohli surpassed West Indies legend Brian Lara to become the second-highest scorer against Australia in international cricket.
In 89 matches and 104 innings, the 34-year-old has scored 4729 runs at an average of 50.84. He has scored 15 centuries and 24 fifties against the Aussies, with the best individual score of 169. Lara on the other hand had scored 4714 runs in 82 matches and 108 innings against Australia with 12 centuries and 26 half-centuries against them. His highest score against them is 277 which he made at the SCG in a drawn Test match in 1993.
The leading run-scorer against Australia is the legendary former India captain Sachin Tendulkar. In 110 matches and 144 innings, Tendulkar scored 6,707 runs at an average of 49.68. He has a total of 20 centuries and 31 half-centuries against Aussies, with the best individual score of 241 not out.
Kohli has not scored a Test century since November 2019, when he made 136 against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in India’s first-ever pink ball Test. He, in fact, went on a drought of international centuries, and a general dip in form in all formats, after that ton and broke that run only with his first-ever T20I century at the 2022 Asia Cup last year. Since then, Kohli turned in a stellar performance at the T20 World Cup and then went on a run of scoring three centuries in four ODI matches. However, he continues to search for his best form in Test cricket and would be hoping that with the conditions being conducive for batting in Ahmedabad, he can do that on Sunday.