News Desk |
Indian skipper Virat Kohli on Friday hit his 24th Test Century and surpassed former Australian skipper Steve Smith (23) to record the most number of Test hundreds by an active player. He achieved the feat during the ongoing first Test against West Indies at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot. During his knock, Kohli also amassed 3000 Test runs in India (53 innings).
The World No 1 batsmen also became the only Indian player and captain to score 1000+ Test runs in three successive calendar years. Kohli, hit 1,059 runs (five 100s) in 16 innings in 2017 with an average of 75.64 and 1,215 in 2016 (four 100s) in 18 innings.
Kohli took 184 balls to bring up his fourth century in 2018. Earlier this year, he hit 153 (217) against South Africa at Centurion, 149 (225) and 103 (197) vs England at Birmingham and Nottingham.
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This was also Kohli’s 17th Test ton as captain, which is the third most Test century by a skipper behind Graeme Smith (25) and Ricky Ponting (19). Kohli, with 123 innings, is the second least innings to 24 tons. He joins an elite group comprising of Donald Bradman (66), Sachin Tendulkar (125), Sunil Gavaskar (128).
Virat Kohli also surpassed Virender Sehwag (714 in 2009-10) to score the most number runs in five consecutive Test innings in India. The Indian skipper has hit two double tons (243, 213), two centuries (104*, 139*) and a half-century in his last five-Tests in India.