Kane Williamson surpasses Virat Kohli's Test tally on Day 3 of SL vs NZ 2024 2nd Test
Senior New Zealand cricketer Kane Williamson went past Virat Kohli's tally of Test runs on Day 3 of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on Saturday, September 28. Playing in his 102nd Test, Williamson now has 8,881 runs. Kohli, who is currently featuring in his 115th Test in the match against Bangladesh in Kanpur, has 8,871 runs to his name.
Williamson's achievement is a small consolation for New Zealand though as they are staring at a huge defeat in the second Test against Sri Lanka. Responding to the hosts' massive first-innings total of 602-5, the Kiwis resumed Day 3 at 22-2. They were bundled out for 88 in 39.5 overs as Prabath Jayasuriya starred with 6-42. Asked to follow-on, the visitors went to stumps in their second innings at 199-5.
Williamson was dismissed for 7 in New Zealand's first innings, nicking a tossed-up delivery from Jayasuriya to slip. In the second essay, he played well for his 46 before getting caught at long-on off Nishan Peiris. When he reached 37, though, the right-handed batter surpassed Kohli's tally of 8,871 Test runs.
New Zealand lost opener Tom Latham for the duck to off-spinner Peiris. However, Devon Conway (61) and Williamson added 97 for the second wicket to give the Kiwis a boost. However, neither of the set batters could convert their starts, while Rachin Ravindra (12) and Daryl Mitchell (1) also fell cheaply. At stumps on Day 3 in Galle, Tom Blundell was batting on 47 and Glenn Phillips on 32.
How Williamson, Kohli have fared in the ongoing WTC
Both Williamson and Kohli are key members of their respective Test squads. If we look at their performance in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, Williamson has scored 757 runs in 16 innings at an average of 50.46, with four hundreds and two half-centuries. Three of his four tons came against South Africa in the home series in February, while one was registered in Bangladesh.
On the other hand, Kohli has 392 runs in eight innings at an average of 49, with one ton and two fifties. The former India captain's only hundred in the ongoing WTC cycle came against West Indies in Port of Spain. He has scored half-centuries in Roseau and Centurion.