Virat Kohli slowest Indian to 9000 Test runs but rearguard knock gives India hope against New Zealand
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Team India's star batter Virat Kohli added another feather to his cap on Friday, as he became the only fourth Indian batter to reach the 9000-run mark in the longest format of the game. Kohli joined batting legends Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sunil Gavaskar in an elite list of players who have scored 9000 or more runs in Tests.
Kohli reached the mark during the second innings of the opening Test against New Zealand, where he also smashed a dominant half-century.
Kohli, undeterred by his first-innings duck, bounced back as India embarked on the daunting task of chasing down a 356-run deficit in the ongoing Test against New Zealand.
India, bowled out for a paltry 46 in their first innings — their lowest Test total on home soil — faced an uphill battle as the Kiwis posted a formidable 402, anchored by Rachin Ravindra's brilliant century. Kohli’s resilience. hence, stood out as he sought to steady the ship for his team in a tough situation.
However, Kohli’s achievement came after a longer stretch than his predecessors, taking 197 innings to reach the landmark. His journey from 8000 to 9000 runs took 28 outings, a mark he had been chasing since 2022.
Additionally, the Bengaluru Test saw Kohli surpass another record as he made his 536th international appearance, surpassing MS Dhoni’s 535 caps for India. With this, Kohli now stands as the second-most capped Indian player, only behind Tendulkar’s colossal tally of 664.
Earlier, in the series against Bangladesh, Kohli also became the fastest player to reach 27,000 international runs, achieving the feat in just 594 innings, further solidifying his status among cricket’s all-time greats.
Most Test runs for India
- 15921 – Sachin Tendulkar
- 13288 – Rahul Dravid
- 10122 – Sunil Gavaskar
- 9000* – Virat Kohli
India made a solid start to their second innings despite a hefty deficit, with Rohit Sharma's attacking knock setting the tone for the innings. Despite his unlucky dismissal soon after the batter's half-century, Kohli, alongside Sarfaraz, kept the scoreboard ticking, with the latter producing an array of attacking strokes to keep the Kiwis on backfoot.
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