Virat Kohli became the fifth Indian batsman to reach 4000 runs at home. He achieved this extraordinary feat on the third day of the fourth Border Gavaskar Test match against Australia. It was his first fifty in nearly 14 months.
For the first time since the Cape Town Test in January 2022, former India skipper Kohli overcame a shaky start before tea to score fifty runs in the longest version of the game. His unbeaten 59 helped India score 289/3 in 99 overs, which gave the hosts a good start on Saturday. Shubman Gill (128) and Cheteshwar Pujara (42) also contributed.
Kohli achieved this feat in his 50th test at home and scored runs at an average of over 58.
Kohli’s historic century propels India to another BGT series win
India earned a spot in the WTC final. For the fourth time in a straight, they took home the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The fourth and final match against Australia finished in a dull draw in Ahmedabad on Monday, a lackluster day for cricket.
On Day 1 of the fourth Test, following the fanfare and ceremony surrounding the entrance of the opposing Prime Ministers, Australian captain Steve Smith won the toss and decided to bat first. Australia performed a respectable batting performance in the series after choosing to bat first. But the runs were scored at a less-than-healthy rate on a surface that seemed to be perfect for batting.
Despite close contests on spinning tracks in the first three Tests, the final Test in Ahmedabad ended in a draw. The first three Tests were also completed within three days. In the opening match, India scored 132 runs at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur, and followed it up with a six-wicket win at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, giving them an unassailable 2-0 lead.
The Australians, however, bounced back with spin and won the third Test by 9 wickets at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. The team will now face India again from June 7-11 at the Kennington Oval in London.
Only a few hitters were able to accumulate runs throughout the 2023 season as bowling, particularly spinners, had the last laugh in three of the four Test matches. In the first three Tests, pitchers Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Nathan Lyon, Matthew Kuhnemann, and Todd Murphy all made significant contributions with their deliveries on difficult surfaces for batsmen.
The majority of batsmen, including Steve Smith, struggled to handle spin during the series, leading to hundreds of runs from Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Cameron Green, and Usman Khawaja.
Kohli makes history in his 50th Test at Home
Virat Kohli, who scored his 28th century in a Test, the most recent of which was at the end of 2019, stole the show. They have six partnerships of 50 runs or more, with Kohli and Axar Patel’s 162-run partnership being the greatest contributor.
India enjoyed a 91-run lead after nearly two days of batting. They would have believed they had a good chance of winning considering the Australians’ recent losses. However, the pitch stayed the same throughout the game, resulting in a mundane draw in the end.
During the post-match interview, Virat Kohli admitted that he had been desperate to score a century. After 41 innings and more than three years, Virat Kohli achieved triple figures for the first time. In the fourth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar series, Kohli made 186 runs. Becoming the 28th Test player to reach the century mark.
Following are some statistics regarding Virat Kohli’s 28th century in tests:
– 23 Matches
For 23 games in Test cricket, Virat Kohli was without a century. After defeating Bangladesh in a Pink Ball Test in November 2019, Kohli’s performance with the bat dipped.
– 40 Innings
This was Kohli’s first hundred in 40 innings. In the early months of 2022, the batter had come perilously near to a century against South Africa. But he was out on 79 runs. Throughout that time, Kohli has only amassed six half-centuries.
– 1st vs AUS since December 2018
In the historic series of 2018–19, when India won their first Test series trophy Down Under, Virat Kohli scored his last century against Australia. A good start to his campaign was made by Kohli. He scored 123 runs in the second Test of the series. The third Test game would be the only one on that tour in which the then-Indian skipper would score more than fifty runs, scoring 82 runs.
– Test hundred after 1204 days
Between his Test hundreds, Kohli experienced ups and downs, so it has been an agonizing period. In addition to disclosing his mental health difficulties, Kohli admitted that he has been acting intensely both inside and outside of the pitch.
One of the best-known Indian captains handed the reins to his replacement, Rohit Sharma, took extended breaks from international cricket under fire, and then made a triumphant comeback in 2022. After his century against Afghanistan, Kohli has scored four hundred, including his first in the Test format. He has also scored three hundred in ODIs.
