Port of Spain: Virat Kohli, the former Indian captain and one of the greatest batsmen of all time, scored his 29th Test century on the second day of the second Test against the West Indies at Queen’s Park Oval. Kohli reached the milestone with a stylish boundary off Shannon Gabriel with India at 314-4.
This was Kohli’s first Test hundred away from home since December 2018, when he scored 123 against Australia in Perth. The 34-year-old had faced criticism for his lack of overseas centuries in the longest format, especially after a lean patch in 2022. However, he silenced his critics with a masterful knock of 143, which included 16 fours and a six.
Kohli also achieved several milestones with his century. He became the first player to score four international hundreds in 2023, having already scored three ODI tons against England, Sri Lanka, and Australia. He also became the first player to score six international hundreds across formats since the start of 2022.
Kohli also equaled the legendary Don Bradman’s record of 29 Test hundreds, and is now joint-fourth on the list of most Test centuries, behind Sachin Tendulkar (51), Ricky Ponting (41), and Jacques Kallis (45). He also surpassed Tendulkar’s record of most centuries after playing 500 international matches. Kohli has now scored 76 international hundreds, while Tendulkar scored 69 at the same stage of his career.
Kohli also became the third Indian player to play 500 international matches, after Tendulkar (664) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (538). He is also the tenth player overall to achieve this feat. Kohli made his international debut in 2008 and has since scored over 23,000 runs across formats.
Speaking after the end of the day’s play, Kohli said that he was grateful to play 500 games for India and that he never imagined it. He also said that he was not bothered by the stats and milestones and that his main aim was to contribute as much as possible to the team.
“These are things for others to talk about. I have got 15 hundred away from home, that’s not a bad record. I have got more hundreds away than at home. The key is to do well to the best of my ability. We haven’t played 30 matches away from home and I have got a few fifty-plus scores. I want to contribute as much as possible,” he said.
“If I get 50 the feeling is I missed out on a 100, if I get 120 the feeling is I missed out on a double hundred. These stats and milestones (will) mean nothing in 15 years’ time, what they will remember is if I left an impact or not. I am grateful to play 500 games for India. I never imagined. It’s all hard work. It’s the commitment you give to the sport you are playing which gives you the result,” he added.
Kohli’s knock helped India post a formidable total of 438 in their first innings, taking a lead of 296 runs over the hosts. The West Indies were struggling at 64-4 at stumps on day two, still trailing by 232 runs.
