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Virat Kohli Breaks Another Age-Old Record With 82-Ball 72 in Centurion Test

image-lqqoawlpKohli turned out to be India's lone warrior in Centurion's 3rd innings (AP Photo)

In an overall disappointing day of Test cricket for Team India, one man, Virat Kohli once again hogged the spotlight as he fought like a lone warrior against an in-form South African attack in their own backyard on Day 3 of the first Test in Centurion. That was his 30th Test fifty in Test cricket, and with that, he went past India’s Test specialist VVS Laxman in the all-time Test run-scorers list for India. 

The veteran batter now stands as the all-time fourth-highest scorer for India in Test cricket with a total of 8790 runs to his name in 112 Tests played so far, which is nine more than the total of 8781 runs amassed by VVS Laxman in 134 Tests for India.

During the second innings of the Boxing Day Test at SuperSport Park in Centurion, Kohli fought valiantly for his 76 runs, which only took 82 balls. His innings was laced with 12 fours and one six, providing some resistance against the hosts' bowlers. 

Despite his valiant effort, Kohli couldn't prevent India from facing an embarrassing defeat in the series opener.

Now standing only behind Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs), Sunil Gavaskar (13,265 runs), and Rahul Dravid (10,122 runs) in terms of Test runs for India, Kohli's numbers enhance his reputation as a Test batter.

This innings also elevated Kohli to the 21st position in the history of Test cricket run-scorers, surpassing AB de Villiers. Additionally, he became the second batter after Tendulkar to achieve the milestone of scoring 7000 international runs in SENA countries. Kohli's feat extended further as he equaled VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly's record of hitting four half-centuries in Test matches played in South Africa.


Humiliating loss for India in 1st Test

On Day 3, Kohli had to navigate through wickets falling around him consistently. The dismissals of Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Shardul Thakur added to the pressure on India’s number 4.

Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a duck by Kagiso Rabada, followed by Yashasvi Jaiswal losing his wicket to Nandre Burger. Despite a promising start, Shubman Gill was bowled by Marco Jansen after scoring 26 runs. Shreyas Iyer managed only six runs before falling to Jansen, and Burger removed Rahul and Ashwin in consecutive deliveries. 

Kohli then tried to get to the three-figure mark but he too ended up throwing his wicket away. India never recovered from the early blows and went on to lose the Test match.