Ace Indian batsman Virat Kohli played a brilliant innings to score his 30th half-century in Test cricket, surpassing legendary Indian batsman VVS Laxman on the all-time Test run-scorers list for India. The former Indian skipper was the only bright spot for the team in Centurion, as the other batsmen fell without much fight in the second innings.
Kohli played a magnificent innings on the third day of the Boxing Day Test at Centurion. In the 28th over, the veteran batsman smashed South African pacer Nandre Burger over midwicket for his 30th half-century. The former Indian captain has an incredible record of 29 red-ball hundreds to go along with his 30 Test fifties.
With this innings, Kohli became India’s all-time fourth-highest Test scorer, surpassing Laxman. Presently, Virat Kohli trails only Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs), Sunil Gavaskar (13,265 runs), and Rahul Dravid (10,122 runs) on the list of highest Test run-scorers for India. This inning also helped him surpass AB de Villiers to become the 21st-highest run-scorer in Test cricket history.
Virat Kohli had an excellent year, finishing with an average of more than 65. He performed exceptionally well in the ICC World Cup 2023 and was the tournament’s leading run-scorer with more than 700 runs to his name, the most in any edition of the event. He also broke Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI century record and now has 50 tons to his name.
The 35-year-old Kohli is a brilliant batsman across all three formats of the game. He was India’s leading run-scorer in ICC events and has been instrumental in the team’s success in all formats, setting an example for upcoming players.
Coming into the game, In the second innings, India lost wickets quickly, ending a miserable day for the team. After South Africa scored 408 runs in response to the visitors’ 245 innings, a remarkable performance was expected from Rohit’s men in the 2nd innings.
However, despite losing all wickets at the other end, Kohli kept the team’s hopes alive, batting brilliantly and fighting hard in difficult conditions. South Africa has taken a 1-0 lead in the series, with the second game scheduled for 3rd January in Cape Town. The Men In Blue will be hoping for a strong comeback in the second game to draw the series.
