Virat Kohli achieved another milestone in his illustrious career during the third innings of India’s rain-affected opening Test against New Zealand at Bengaluru.
The 35-year-old once again showed his batting chops on day 3, steering the team’s recovery after a record-low total in the first innings. By stumps, India had reached 231/3, trailing New Zealand by 125 runs, after Kohli was dismissed on the final ball of the day by Glenn Phillips.
During his gutsy knock, Virat Kohli became the 4th Indian batter to cross the 9000-run threshold in Test cricket joins the ranks of legendary Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sunil Gavaskar, although he holds the distinction of being the slowest to reach the mark, doing so in 197 innings.
| Player | Innings | Year Achieved |
|---|---|---|
| Rahul Dravid | 176 | 2006 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 179 | 2004 |
| Sunil Gavaskar | 192 | 1985 |
| Virat Kohli | 197 | 2024* |
Kohli’s 9017 runs in test cricket have come at an average of 48.74 courtesy of 29 centuries and 31 fifties with his 254* against South Africa in 2019 being his highest score.
India, at the time of writing, is 344/3 on Day 4, trailing the visiting Kiwis by just 12 runs with rain affecting the play once again.