Published 19:17 IST, December 15th 2020
Virat Kohli poised to overtake two HUGE Ricky Ponting records in pink-ball Test
Indian captain and batting icon Virat Kohli is on the verge of overtaking former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting in two major international batting records.
Virat Kohli and Co. are set to take on Australia in the first of a four-match Test series, starting from Thursday, December 17 at the Adelaide Oval. Interestingly, the upcoming India vs Australia pink ball Test match will be Kohli’s only Test commitment during the entire tour, as he will be departing back to India as part of his paternity leave. As of now, the Indian captain is poised to eclipse former Australian captain Ricky Ponting in two major batting records, which Indian fans will be expecting him to do so at the Adelaide Oval.
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Virat Kohli records: Cricketer tipped to overtake Ricky Ponting in India vs Australia pink ball Test
Virat Kohli was appointed as India’s full-time Test captain in early 2015, i.e. after MS Dhoni’s retirement from the format. A year later, he became Indian captain in limited-overs formats as well. As of now, Kohli has led Team India in 187 matches across all international forms of the game through which he has plundered 41 centuries.
On the other hand, former Australian skipper and batting icon Ricky Ponting has led his country in 324 matches, where he has reached the three-digit mark 41 times. If Virat Kohli manages to score a century in any of the two innings of the upcoming India vs Australia pink ball Test match, he will surpass Ponting’s record of scoring most centuries as international captain.
Virat Kohli is also on the verge of equalling/overtaking Ricky Ponting in another major international record. The decorated Australian batsman stockpiled a total of 71 centuries in all formats during his playing journey (from 1995 till 2012). He is currently second on the list of all-time leading century-makers at the international level behind India’s Sachin Tendulkar (100 centuries).
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli's centuries in international cricket compose of 70 three-figure scores since his debut in 2008. He is third on the all-time list and can level the two-time World Cup-winning Australian skipper with a century at the Adelaide Oval.
Virat Kohli records in international cricket
The Virat Kohli records section in international cricket composes of some staggering numbers. In 86 Tests, he has aggregated 7,240 runs at an average of 53.62 with 27 tons and 22 half-centuries. When it comes to limited-overs formats, the right-handed batsman is currently the leading run-scorer in the world in T20Is and the fastest batsman to scale 10,000 runs in ODIs. Overall, the Indian skipper has aggregated 22,208 international runs.
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Image source: BCCI Twitter and AP
Updated 19:17 IST, December 15th 2020