3 records Virat Kohli can break in WTC final vs Australia
It's the aura of Virat Kohli that makes him the buzzing topic of the town, whether he is performing or not. When he bats, the whole country's emotions swing in one direction.
When India will step out at Kennington Oval in London to lock horns with Australia in the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final, all eyes once again will be on the former Indian captain.
Kohli, the batter, has mixed results when it comes to batting at the Oval. On the one hand, he had a torrid time in 2014, where he was dismissed in the single digits in both innings. But prior to that, he contributed more than 130 runs, including two fifties, across four innings on the same ground.
Once again, it's Kohli who holds the key to India's success at the WTC final, with the team missing the services of two of the most prominent members of the playing XI and pillars of Indian lower middle order batting, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant.
Besides, he will also have a chance to break some records in the same match. On that note, we will discuss the records Virat Kohli can break in the WTC final.
#3 Surpassing Sir Vivian Richards' Test runs
Virat Kohli has scored 8416 runs in 108 Tests so far. If he manages to score 125 runs in the WTC final, he will surpass former West Indian great and one of his favorite batters, Sir Vivian Richards' tally of 8540 Test runs.
Not only this, he will also have a great chance of surpassing former Indian opener Virender Sehwag's Test runs. Sehwag has 8586 runs to his credit in Test cricket. Kohli will have to score 171 runs to get ahead of his former teammate.
Considering the Australian pace attack comprising Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc in the challenging English conditions and the pressure of a big final, it's not going to be easy to score so many runs.
But with Kohli being in fine form, he can surely break the records of both legendary batters.
#2 Surpassing Rahul Dravid's Test runs against Australia
Virat Kohli has a chance to overtake Rahul Dravid's Test runs against Australia in the upcoming WTC final.
Dravid used to be one of the nemeses of the Aussies, scoring 2143 runs in 60 innings against them, including two centuries and 13 half-centuries.
Kohli, meanwhile, has scored 1979 runs in 42 innings against Australia and is fifth in the list of Indian batters with the most runs against the Aussies. He will need to score 164 runs in the WTC final to break Dravid's record.
#1 Breaking Ricky Ponting's record of centuries in India-Australia matches
Not only Virat Kohli but former Australian captain Steve Smith will have his eye on breaking Ricky Ponting's record of eight centuries in India-Australia Tests.
Ponting is placed joint second in the list along with Kohli, Smith, and Sunil Gavaskar. Sachin Tendulkar, with 11 centuries, tops the list.
It will be tough for both Kohli and Smith to emulate Tendulkar's record, but they will do well to move past Ponting's tally.