Star Indian batter Virat Kohli is on the cusp of breaking major records held by legendary cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting during the upcoming Test series. Kohli, who is back in Australia for his fifth Test tour, is the most experienced batter in the Indian cricket team for the five-match series.
India and Australia are gearing up for an exciting five-match Test series in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT 2024-25) series. The first Test match will be played at the Optus Stadium in Perth, starting on Friday, November 22. Skipper Rohit Sharma and top-order batter Shubman Gill will miss the series opener.
Virat Kohli Aims to Deliver for Team India in BGT 2024-25
Without Rohit and Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, and Yashasvi Jaiswal will have to take the batting responsibilities in hopes of securing a third consecutive Test series win in Australia. KL Rahul is set to open in the first Test, with Dhruv Jurel and debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy included in the playing XI.
Kohli had a disappointing outing with the bat during the 0-3 Test series loss to New Zealand at home. The right-handed batter scored only 93 runs in the New Zealand series, with a best score of 70. He has scored just 250 runs in six matches this year at an average of 22.72, including one half-century.
Kohli has had an impressive record with the bat in Test cricket on Australian soil. He has scored 1,352 runs in 13 Test matches at an impressive average of 54.08, including five centuries. Notably, the Indian team management will be hoping for him to deliver with the bat in the most important Test series.
Virat Kohli on the Verge of Breaking Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting’s Major Records
Virat Kohli is 350 runs away from overtaking Ricky Ponting to become the third-highest run-scorer in international cricket. The 36-year-old batter, with six centuries, needs just one more Test century in Australia to surpass Tendulkar on the list of most Test hundreds by an Indian batter in the country.
The Delhi cricketer is also close to another milestone in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He needs just 21 more runs to become the seventh batter to score 2,000 runs in the India-Australia Test series. Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, and Cheteshwar Pujara have crossed this milestone in the BGT.
Highest run-getters in Border-Gavaskar Trophy Between India and Australia:
| Player | Matches | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | 34 | 3262 | 56.24 | 9 | 16 | 241* |
| Ricky Ponting | 29 | 2555 | 54.36 | 8 | 12 | 257 |
| VVS Laxman | 29 | 2434 | 49.67 | 6 | 12 | 281 |
| Rahul Dravid | 32 | 2143 | 39.68 | 2 | 13 | 233 |
| Michael Clarke | 22 | 2049 | 53.92 | 7 | 6 | 329* |
| Cheteshwar Pujara | 24 | 2033 | 50.82 | 5 | 11 | 204 |
| Virat Kohli | 24 | 1979 | 48.26 | 8 | 5 | 186 |
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