Virat Kohli 53 runs away from etching his name into the elite list consisting of Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar (Source – Getty Images)
Team India has been preparing to lock horns with New Zealand in the first Test of their three-match series, at the renowned M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru, all eyes will be on the star batter, Virat Kohli. The Delhi-born is on the brink of recording yet another milestone to his name as he needs just 53 runs to join the 9000-run club in Test cricket.
With 8,947 runs from 115 matches at an average of 48.89, including 29 centuries and 30 half-centuries, he has consistently broken all the odds to become one of India’s finest batters. Kohli will become the fourth Indian player and the 18th overall to reach this historic landmark, joining the likes of legends Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sunil Gavaskar.
Tendulkar leads the pack with 15,921 runs in 200 Tests. Dravid follows with 13,265 runs in 163 matches, while Gavaskar scored 10,122 runs in 125 Tests. The 35-year-old is also on the verge of becoming only the third Indian batter, after Dravid and Tendulkar, to score 1000 runs in Tests against New Zealand.
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Virat Kohli has hit 866 runs in 11 Test matches against New Zealand
Currently, Virat Kohli has smashed 866 runs in 11 matches against the Black Caps. If he manages to score 134 runs in this series, he will not only reach the 1000-run mark but also surpass the tallies of former opener Virender Sehwag (883 runs) and Cheteshwar Pujara (867 runs) against the BlackCaps.
The year 2024 has been challenging for Team India‘s modern-day great, with only one 50+ score in 16 matches across all formats. In the last Test series against Bangladesh, he fell earl in both the innings of Chennai Test. But in Kanpur, he registered scores of 47 and 29* which came in no time. This home series against New Zealand is a good opportunity for him to get back to his sublime form.