Indian cricketer Virat Kohli has reached a remarkable career milestone by becoming the fourth Indian player to score over 9,000 runs in Test cricket. He achieved this feat on Day 3 of the 1st Test against New Zealand at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, hitting his 53rd run in the second innings after a duck in the first.
A Historic Achievement
At 35 years old, Kohli joins legendary cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sunil Gavaskar in this prestigious 9,000-run club. He reached this milestone in his 197th innings, making him the slowest Indian to do so compared to Dravid (176 innings), Tendulkar (179 innings), and Gavaskar (192 innings). Currently playing in his 116th Test match, Kohli boasts an impressive batting average of over 48.
Record-Breaking Captaincy
Kohli also holds the record for the fourth-most centuries for India in Test cricket, trailing behind Tendulkar (51), Dravid (36), and Gavaskar (34). Prior to Kohli, Dravid was the last Indian cricketer to reach 9,000 Test runs, accomplishing the feat during the West Indies tour in 2006. Tendulkar reached this milestone in 2004, while Gavaskar did so in 1985.
Notably, out of Kohli’s 9,000+ Test runs, an impressive 5,864 were scored while captaining the Indian team. From 2014 to 2022, he was India’s most successful Test captain and currently ranks fourth for the most Test runs as captain, following Graeme Smith (8,659), Allan Border (6,623), and Ricky Ponting (6,542). Kohli also boasts the second-highest number of centuries as captain, with a total of 20.
Where He Stands Among Peers
Among Indian players, Kohli ranks behind only Tendulkar (15,921 runs), Dravid (13,265 runs), and Gavaskar (10,122 runs) in total Test runs. Additionally, VVS Laxman (8,781 runs) and Virender Sehwag (8,503 runs) are the only other Indian batsmen to surpass the 8,000-run mark in Test cricket.
Kohli’s latest achievement underscores his position as one of the greats of Indian cricket and solidifies his legacy in the sport.
