Virat Kohli added another remarkable achievement to his illustrious career by surpassing 9000 Test runs during India’s first Test against New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday. Batting at No. 3 for the first time in eight years, Kohli reached the milestone with a half-century in India’s second innings.
𝟗𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠….
A career milestone for @imVkohli 👏👏
He is the fourth Indian batter to achieve this feat.#INDvNZ @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/Bn9svKrgtl
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 18, 2024
Despite being dismissed for a nine-ball duck in the first innings, Kohli quickly rebounded, leading India’s fightback as they aimed to recover from a massive 356-run deficit. His performance in this innings cemented his place among cricketing legends, making him only the fourth Indian batter to reach 9000 Test runs. He now shares this honor with Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sunil Gavaskar. Kohli, however, became the slowest among the four to achieve this feat, taking 197 innings—28 more than it took him to complete 8000 runs in 2022.
India’s first innings was nothing short of a disaster, as they were bowled out for a mere 46 runs, marking their lowest Test total on home soil. New Zealand capitalized on India’s collapse with a commanding reply of 402 runs, thanks to a brilliant century by Rachin Ravindra.
Adding to his list of records, Kohli’s appearance in Bengaluru also saw him surpass former India captain MS Dhoni in terms of international matches played. With 536 caps, Kohli now stands as the second-most capped Indian player, behind only the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who played 664 matches for India.
Kohli reached the milestone in 197 innings, making him the slowest among the four to achieve the feat. Rahul Dravid took 176 innings, Sachin Tendulkar needed 179, while Sunil Gavaskar reached the mark in 192 innings. Kohli’s inclusion in this prestigious list further solidifies his standing among India’s cricketing legends, with Tendulkar leading the tally at 15,921 runs, followed by Dravid with 13,288, and Gavaskar with 10,122 runs.
