3 Test records Virat Kohli can break in 2023
Star batter Virat Kohli had a sub-par outing in the red-ball format in 2022. He managed to score 265 runs in 11 innings at a paltry average of 26.50, with just a half-century. This is the third consecutive year Kohli has not scored a century in Test cricket.
However, Kohli batted well in patches last year and has shown hints of form in the last few matches. The former Indian captain could storm back into form in Test cricket this year as he did in T20Is and ODIs in 2022.
The talismanic run-scorer could break a plethora of records in Test cricket this year. In this article, we take a look at three Test records Kohli can break in 2023.
#1 Virat Kohli can go past Virender Sehwag's tally of Test runs
The Delhi-born batter has mustered 8119 runs in 104 games at an average of 48.90. He is 384 runs behind former opener Virender Sehwag, who has 8503 runs in 103 Tests.
Kohli is expected to go past Sehwag's tally of runs in the upcoming four-match home Test series against Australia. If he manages to do so, the right-handed batter will be India's fifth-highest run-scorer in Test cricket.
Sachin Tendulkar (15921), Rahul Dravid (13265), Sunil Gavaskar (10122), and VVS Laxman (8781) occupy the top four spots on the list.
#2 Can go past 4000 runs at home
Out of 8119 runs in Test cricket, Kohli has amassed 3847 runs on home soil in 46 matches. The former No.1 Test batter needs just 153 runs to register 4000 Test runs in India.
He is expected to go past the 4000-run mark in the upcoming four-match Test series against Australia next month.
Tendulkar has the most runs at home among Indian batters, scoring 7216 runs in 94 matches at an average of 52.67, including 22 centuries and 32 fifties.
#3 Can go past Sunil Gavaskar's tally of 34 Test hundreds
Despite not scoring a hundred in the last three years, Kohli has 27 centuries under his belt in 104 matches.
He is currently fourth on the list of maximum tons by an Indian batter after Sachin Tendulkar (51), Rahul Dravid (36), and Sunil Gavaskar (34).
Kohli, who has shown exemplary form with the bat in the white-ball format, is expected to carry it into Test cricket. If he manages to do so, the 34-year-old has a very good chance of going past Gavaskar in the list of most centuries by an Indian batter in Tests.
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