4 hours Ago By Chankesh Rao
Indian cricketer Virat Kohli has achieved another significant milestone in his career, becoming the fourth Indian player to reach 9,000 runs in Test cricket. Kohli reached this impressive feat on Day 3 of the 1st Test against New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The 35-year-old accomplished this milestone with his 53rd run in the second innings, although he was dismissed for a duck in the first innings.
Kohli now joins the ranks of legendary Indian cricketers such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sunil Gavaskar in the elite 9,000-run club in Test cricket. Among Indian players, Kohli currently sits behind Tendulkar (15,921 runs), Dravid (13,265 runs), and Gavaskar (10,122 runs) in terms of total Test runs. Only two other Indian batsmen, VVS Laxman (8,781 runs) and Virender Sehwag (8,503 runs), have surpassed the 8,000-run mark in Test cricket.
Kohli achieved the milestone of 9,000 runs in his 197th innings, making him the slowest Indian player to reach this mark compared to Dravid (176 innings), Tendulkar (179 innings), and Gavaskar (192 innings). Currently playing his 116th Test match, Kohli boasts an impressive average of over 48 in the format. With the fourth-most centuries for India in Test cricket, Kohli follows closely behind Tendulkar (51 centuries), Dravid (36 centuries), and Gavaskar (34 centuries).
Prior to Kohli, his former coach, Dravid, was the last Indian cricketer to reach 9,000 runs in Test cricket. Dravid accomplished this milestone in 2006 during the West Indies tour. Tendulkar achieved 9,000 Test runs in 2004, while Gavaskar did so in 1985.
Of Kohli's 9,000+ Test runs, an impressive 5,864 have been scored while leading India. From 2014 to 2022, he emerged as India's most successful captain in Test cricket. Kohli currently holds the fourth position for the most Test runs as captain, following Graeme Smith (8,659), Allan Border (6,623), and Ricky Ponting (6,542).
Additionally, Kohli boasts the second-highest number of centuries as captain in the format, with a total of 20. Also read| Watch: Rohit Sharma left in disbelief after freak dismissal against New Zealand, Chinnaswamy crowd left stunned.
