Bengaluru Test: Virat Kohli becomes 4th Indian to 9,000 Test runs; joins Tendulkar, Dravid and Gavaskar
Virat Kohli, the man of milestones, became just the fourth Indian batsman to score 9,000 Test runs, joining legends of the game like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sunil Gavaskar, on Day 3 of India’s first Test against New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday, October 18.
Kohli scored his 31st Test half-century on the way to going past the 9000-run mark in the format. He accomplished the milestone during India’s second innings after scoring the 53rd run in the 42nd over. However, he took 197 innings to reach the milestone, the slowest of the four. Kohli’s half-century was also his first 50-plus score in Tests this year, silencing doubts about his form at a critical time for the squad.
The Chinnaswamy crowd was treated to a Kohli brilliance. Initially, he struggled against left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel after being promoted to third spot after Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed. It took him 14 balls to get off the mark, but once there, he found his groove.
Kohli, Sarfaraz lead India’s strong fightback
Kohli found an able ally good partner in Sarfaraz Khan, and together they stabilized India’s innings. While Sarfaraz was aggressive, Kohli demonstrated his typical finesse with clean drives and strokes down the ground.
Also read: India vs New Zealand: India Start Steadily in Pursuit of Massive Deficit
As the conditions improved, Sarfaraz and Kohli, who both failed to score in the 1st innings, took advantage of the opportunity. They displayed strong determination and appeared stable while scoring quickly.
Kohli got out for a duck in the first innings
Kohli got out without troubling scorers during the 1st innings when he batted at the 3rd position for India in Tests after an 8-year gap. Kohli seemed uncertain right from the start as the ball was moving in the air as Will O’Rourke came in and bowled a stunning delivery with the field placing being perfect as well.
The ball was heading directly towards Kohli’s chest and the Indian batsman could only glove it to Glenn Philips, who successfully took a great catch.
