[Watch] Virat Kohli's 29th Test Century Recalls Tendulkar, Gavaskar's Feats in Remarkable Parallel
Virat Kohli scored 121 in his 500th international game (Twitter)
Indian batter Virat Kohli, on his 500th international outing, notched his 29th Test century that mirrored past accolades of Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar in what was a grand rendezvous with destiny.
Kohli mirrors Tendulkar, Gavaskar with 29th Test ton
As Friday dawned at Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad, it had been five long years since Kohli had celebrated a Test century on foreign turf. By the time the sun set, Kohli had ended his dry spell with an imperious knock of 121, single-handedly steering India out of an early slump and towards a mammoth first innings total of 438 in the second Test against West Indies.
Kohli's 29th Test century revived memories of Tendulkar's similar achievement at the same venue back in 2002, where the Master-Blaster had also scored his 29th ton in the format with a shot on the off-side.
The nostalgic video went viral on social media showing the striking parallel between the two feats. The only discernible distinction between the two was Kohli reaching the milestone with a boundary shot.
But this harmonic dance with history didn't stop at Tendulkar. Kohli's feat resonated with another storied chapter from Indian cricketing history - a Sunil Gavaskar classic from four decades back.
In 1983, during India and West Indies' 50th Test match face-off, Gavaskar had notched up his 29th Test century, with his score settling at an identical 121. Kohli repeated this feat in the landmark 100th match of the same rivalry with the same score.
Meanwhile, besides Kohli’s century, India saw four half-century performances, two of which were secured on the second day of the match by Ravindra Jadeja (61 off 152) and R Ashwin (56 off 78) as the team posted a total of 438. By the end of Day 2, India contained West Indies to a solitary wicket for 86 runs, retaining a lead of 352 runs.