IND vs NZ: Virat Kohli becomes fourth Indian batsman to score 9000 runs in test cricket

Virat Kohli is the slowest of the four Indian batsmen to reach 9000 test runs.

Even though he is not in the best of form, Virat Kohli continues to tumble records and achieve milestones. With a flick off his pads William O’Rourke, a bread and butter shot throughout his career, in the 1st IND vs NZ test in Bengaluru, Kohli completed 9000 runs in test cricket.

The former India captain became the fourth Indian batsman to cross the 9000-run landmark and joins a list that includes three of India’s greatest test batsmen.

Most runs for India in test cricket:

Sachin Tendulkar – 15921

Rahul Dravid – 13265

Sunil Gavaskar – 10122

Virat Kohli – 9000*

VVS Laxman – 8781

However, Kohli is the slowest among these four to reach the 9000-run mark in terms of innings. Kohli took 197 innings to complete 9000 test runs. This is also a result of Kohli getting to bat on bowling-friendly surfaces since the ICC World Test Championship was introduced in 2019.

Fastest Indian batsmen to 9000 runs in test cricket:

Player	Test innings
Rahul Dravid	176
Sachin Tendulkar	179
Sunil Gavaskar	192
Virat Kohli	197

Meanwhile, Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan have put on a stunning and entertaining partnership in Bengaluru. India had conceded a 356-run deficit in the first innings. In their second innings, they found themselves in a nervy position at 95/2.

However, Kohli and Sarfaraz counter-attacked brilliantly to register a century partnership in 101 balls. Both the batters have regularly collected boundaries and put the Kiwi bowlers under pressure. At the time of writing, Kohli is on 68* (90) and Sarfaraz on 68*(68) and India are trailing by 129 runs.

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