Virat Kohli Reaches 9000 Test Runs And Joins The Elite Club

On Friday, October 18, on the third day of the first Test match between India and New Zealand at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Virat Kohli asserted his dominance. Kohli hit the 9000-run mark in the format and recorded his 31st Test half-century.

He accomplished the milestone by scoring 53 runs in the 42nd over of India's second innings. Alongside Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sunil Gavaskar, Kohli became the fourth Indian hitter to reach the 9000-run mark in Test cricket. Virat was the slowest of the four to reach the milestone, though, taking 197 innings. In addition, this half-century was Kohli's first Test score of 50 or more this season, allaying worries about his form at a crucial moment for the squad.

Virat Kohli's 9000-Run Odyssey:

Another core Bengaluru memory for our Milestone Man! 👑🙇🏼‍♂️

Virat Kohli completes 9️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ Test runs, only 3 other Indian cricketers have come this far! ❤️‍🔥#PlayBold #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/RKl9yyFj2x

— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) October 18, 2024

An old-fashioned Kohli performance was given to the Chinnaswamy crowd. After Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed, Kohli entered the game at number three and at first found it difficult to contend with left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel. He needed fourteen deliveries before he got off the mark, but after that, he found his groove.

Sarfaraz Khan proved to be an effective partner for Kohli, as the two of them anchored India's innings. Sarfaraz adopted a forceful stance, but Kohli showed off his signature grace with clean drives and groundstrokes. With each stroke of their "crowd favourite," the supporters screamed, soaking up the stadium's lesson.

Sarfaraz and Kohli, who scored ducks in the first innings, took advantage of the opportunity when the conditions improved. They scored quickly, looked strong, and demonstrated a lot of intent. After eight years, Kohli batted at No. 3 for India in Test matches before leaving without making any inroads on the scoreboard in the first innings.

As soon as the ball began to swing, Kohli was hesitant. Will O'Rourke would enter and give a stunning performance, with flawless field placement. The Indian hitter would only be able to grab a glove on the ball as it swung directly into Kohli's chest. Glenn Philips would then catch the ball once it flew to him.

Prior to the New Zealand Test, Kohli had only played six games at this position and amassed 97 runs at an average of 16.16, thus he didn't brag of a stellar record.

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