Kohli is on 99 and the ball pitches off side, he plays his cover drive and there it is! His 29th Test Hundred! A brilliant play by the modern day legend – who scores his first overseas test century in 5 years! He lifts his bat and bows to the crowd. It has been a long wait for the batsman, who boasts of nearly 25,461 runs in international cricket.
This places Virat 6th in the list of all time scorers in cricket, and the only active cricketer in the list – behind Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakkara, Ricky Ponting, Mahela Jayawardene, and Jacques Kallis.
| Player | Matches | Runs |
|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | 664 | 34,357 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | 594 | 28016 |
| Ricky Ponting | 560 | 27483 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | 652 | 25957 |
| Jacques Kallis | 519 | 25534 |
| Virat Kohli | 500* | 25461* |
With his 76th century – Kohli becomes the only batsman to score a 100 on his 500th International Match Appearance. The journey has been nothing short of phenomenal for the modern day maestro. His 76th century marks the race for the 100th hundred that fans over the world have been looking forward to him completing by the end of his cricketing career.
The latest hundred also marks his comeback form ahead of the Cricket World Cup to be held in October 2023, preceded by a drought of low performing scores across the preceding years, marked by the facts that some felt it was time for Kohli to give up on the long format of the game, and focus on ODIs and T20Is.
Despite Kohli’s prowess in Test cricket, statistics reveal that he has significantly lagged behind his counterparts during the WTC 2021-23 cycle.
Typically batting at no. 4, a position reserved for the finest batter in the lineup, he finds himself in the company of players like Steve Smith (Australia), Kane Williamson (New Zealand), Joe Root (England), and Babar Azam (Pakistan) who also occupy this pivotal spot for their respective teams.
The WTC final showcased India’s struggle with their batting, a primary reason for falling behind Australia. However, during the 2021-23 cycle, when comparing the batting averages for each position, India’s batters performed better than their opponents in all spots except one – the crucial No. 4 position.
| NAME | MATCHES (2021-23 CYCLE) | RUNS SCORED | AVERAGE |
| Joe Root | 22 | 1915 | 53.19 |
| Babar Azam | 14 | 1527 | 61.08 |
| Steve Smith | 20 | 1407 | 52.11 |
| Virat Kohli | 17 | 932 | 32.13 |
| Kane Williamson | 7 | 752 | 75.20 |
For India, the average at No. 4 is 31.96, while their opponents boasted a significantly higher average of 45.58 for the same position. Within this cycle, Kohli featured in 17 Tests and managed to score 932 runs with an average of 32.13, which, while commendable, highlights the importance of strengthening the performance at the No. 4 spot in order to compete more effectively in future tournaments.