3 milestones Virat Kohli can achieve in BGT 2024-25 3rd Test at The Gabba
Virat Kohli will once again be under the spotlight as Team India take on Australia in the third Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 Test at The Gabba in Brisbane. The former Indian captain began the series on a positive note with an unbeaten century in the opening Test in Perth.
However, he failed to get going in the second Test in Adelaide, where he managed scores of just seven and 11 in both innings, respectively. The series is leveled at 1-1 and India will be eager to bounce back with a win in Brisbane.
While Virat Kohli has had immense success in Australia and has scored runs across all venues, he does not boast a successful record in Tests at The Gabba. The right-hander has played just two innings in Brisbane and returned with scores of 19 and 1 during the 2014-15 tour.
His poor form in Adelaide, coupled with his not-so-respectable record at The Gabba is certainly worrisome from an Indian perspective. However, he will be expected to bounce back and deliver in Brisbane as India needs their underfire star to come good. The Gabba Test will also be a special occasion for Virat as it is set to be his 100th international match against Australia.
Heading into the third Test at The Gabba, Virat Kohli also has a wonderful opportunity to achieve a few milestones and add to his success story in Australia. What are these milestones? Let us take a look!
3 milestones Virat Kohli can achieve in BGT 2024-25 3rd Test at The Gabba
#3 Surpassing Rahul Dravid's run tally against Australia in Tests
Rahul Dravid, one of India's top players in history, boasts an impressive Test record against Australia. He is remembered for his famous knocks in the Adelaide and Kolkata Tests against Australia.
Dravid scored 2,166 Test runs against Australia from 33 matches and 62 innings. On the other hand, Virat Kohli has played 27 Tests and batted in 48 innings against Australia. Kohli has a total of 2,165 Test runs and is just two runs away from surpassing Rahul Dravid's tally of Test runs against Australia.
#2 Surpassing Rahul Dravid's tally of most fifty-plus scores in Tests against Australia
Virat Kohli will have the opportunity to overtake Rahul Dravid in another feat should he perform consistently well in the Brisbane Test. As mentioned above, Dravid has scored 2,166 Test runs against Australia. He has 15 fifty-plus scores in the longest format against Australia with 13 half-centuries and two hundreds.
At present, Kohli has nine Test hundreds and five Test fifties against Australia, taking his tally to 14. If he manages to score more than fifty runs in both innings in Brisbane, he can surpass Rahul Dravid on this list as well.
#1 Virat can join Sunil Gavaskar and Alastair Cook in an elite list
Sunil Gavaskar and Alastair Cook are the only two visiting batters in the history of Test cricket to have scored a hundred in the format against Australia in all major venues in Australia. Both the players have scored Test hundreds in Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, and Brisbane.
Virat Kohli has scored Test hundreds in four of these venues - Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney. If he manages to score a ton in the third BGT 2024-25 Test at The Gabba, he will become only the third visiting batter to score Test hundreds in all five major venues in Australia.
He will become only the third visiting batter to achieve this milestone in 147 years of Test cricket history and join Gavaskar and Cook in this elite list.