Virat Kohli (Source – Getty Images)
India broke a plethora of records against Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth on a day marked by the visitors’ dominance.
The day started with Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul picking up from where they left off overnight. India’s opening pair added 29 runs more to the 172 they had at stumps, but not before Jaiswal (161 off 297) brought up his century. Rahul (77 off 176) departed, but Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal put up 74, Jaiswal’s dismissal triggered a collapse where India lost 3 wickets for just 8 runs in the space of three overs. This united Virat Kohli (100* off 143) with Washington Sundar and the pair putting up a measured 89 in around 30 overs. Nitish Kumar Reddy upped the ante and India declared at the very moment Kohli reached his 30th century having set Australia a daunting target of 534.
India then kept the pressure on with the ball. By stumps, Australia were 12 for 3 with India’s captain Jasprit Bumrah accounting for two of the wickets with Mohammed Siraj taking the other one.
Also Read – Watch: Virat Kohli gives flying kiss to Anushka Sharma after scoring his 81st century
Here are the best stats from the day –
3 – Yashasvi Jaiswal became the third Indian player to score a century in his first Test in Australia.
1 – KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s opening stand of 201 is the best ever by an Indian opening pair in Australia.
2 – Yashasvi Jaiswal became the second player ever, after Graeme Smith, to convert each of his first four Test hundreds into scores of 150 or more.
2 – Yashasvi Jaiswal has 4 scores of 150 or more before turning 23 in Tests. This is the joint second-most alongside Javed Miandad and Graeme Smith. Don Bradman with 5 has the most.
2 – With his seventh century in Australia, Virat Kohli pulled level with Wally Hammond to have the joint second-most centuries by a visiting player in Australia. Jack Hobbs’ 9 is the highest.
1 – With his ninth century, Virat Kohli pulled level with Sachin Tendulkar to become the player with the joint-most centuries in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
1 – With his seventh century in Australia, Virat Kohli pulled level with Sunil Gavaskar to have the most centuries by an Indian player in a single country away from home in Tests. The Little Master had 7 centuries in the Carribean.
2 – Virat Kohli became the second Indian player to register 100 centuries in professional cricket after Sachin Tendulkar who had 142.
1 – Virat Kohli marked his 74th score of 50 or more in the SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) countries in all international cricket. This is the joint-most by an Indian player in these countries alongside Sachin Tendulkar.