After a poor first innings which saw India get bowled out for 150 on the opening day, the visitors came roaring back in the second innings, declaring 487-6 on day 3 of the first test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Perth.
India’s batting maestro Virat Kohli broke his century drought in style, surpassing the legendary Sachin Tendulkar with a remarkable hundred in the first Test of the five-match series against Australia at Optus Stadium on Sunday.
Batting at No. 4, he made full use of Perth’s evolving conditions after a challenging opening day that saw him dismissed for just five runs. Demonstrating fine control, Kohli’s innings featured a stunning cover drive against Australian skipper Pat Cummins and confident footwork against Nathan Lyon’s spin.
Kohli brought up his 81st international century in the 135th over of India’s second innings, marking his 30th in Tests after a gap of 17 innings. His knock included 10 boundaries and two sixes.
The milestone also marked Kohli’s seventh Test hundred on Australian soil and his ninth overall against them, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s record of six Test centuries in Australia, further cementing his legacy. The record for the most Test centuries in Australia is held by England’s Jack Hobbs, with nine. Kohli has now moved to joint second alongside Walter Hammond.
Kohli also achieved another major milestone, surpassing Jack Hobbs’ record of nine Test centuries in Australia to claim his 10th international century across all formats in the country, adding to his three centuries in ODIs.
After India declared their second innings following his unbeaten century, Kohli said, “I just wanted to contribute to the team’s cause, I don’t want to hang around just for the sake of it, I take pride in performing for the country.”
Nearly 500 days after his last Test century, Virat Kohli reaches the landmark once again 💯https://t.co/FIh0brqKuj #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/TB3i7cZM83
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) November 24, 2024
Earlier in the day, Yashasvi Jaiswal also etched his name in history as the first Indian batter in Test cricket to convert his first four centuries into scores of 150 or more, a feat previously achieved only by South Africa’s Graeme Smith. Additionally, Jaiswal and KL Rahul made history as the first Indian duo to register a 200-plus opening partnership on Australian soil.
Chasing a target of 534, the hosts got off to the worst possible start losing 3 wickets with just 12 runs on the board. India will look to complete the job on day 4 of the match to take a 1-0 lead in the 5-match series.
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
