IND vs SL: Virat Kohli on cusp of major milestone ahead of historic 100th Test

Former India skipper Virat Kohli can break several records in the upcoming first Test against Sri Lanka. Firstly, this will be his 100th Test, where he will join an elite list of Indian cricketers who have played 100 games in the longest format. The list comprises the likes of Sachin Tendulkar (200), Rahul Dravid (163), VVS Laxman (134), Anil Kumble (132), Kapil Dev (131), Sunil Gavaskar (125), Dilip Vengsarkar (116), Sourav Ganguly (113), Ishant Sharma (105), Harbhajan Singh (103), and Virender Sehwag (103).

However, there is another milestone for Kohli to achieve in the historic game. He is just 38 runs away from completing 8000 runs in the format. In 99 Tests, the right-hander has amassed 7962 runs, averaging 50.69 with 27 hundred and 28 fifties. Once he gets to the milestone, the 33-year-old will join the likes of Tendulkar, Dravid, Sehwag, Gavaskar and VVS Laxman.

Tendulkar is the fastest among the Indians as he took just 154 innings. After him, Dravid did it in 158, Sehwag in 160, and Gavaskar in 166. If Kohli goes past the landmark in the 1st inning, he will surpass VVS Laxman to become the fastest Indian to do so. Talking about the world level, only Kumar Sangakkara from Sri Lanka achieved it in just 152 innings, leaving behind Tendulkar. Talking about Kohli, the former skipper is having a difficult time with the bat in the last couple of years.

Since November 2019, he hasn’t been able to strike a ton in any form of the game. Talking about Tests, he has struggled in the last five Tests at home. The Delhi-born could only muster 208 runs, averaging 26 and has struggled against spin bowling. In the last eight dismissals at home, six have come against the spinner. Notably, the last time he played against Sri Lanka at home, he struck back-to-back double hundred in 2017. He will be hoping to replicate his performance.