20 July,2023 09:19 AM IST | Port of Spain | mid-day online correspondent
Virat Kohli (Pic:AFP)
Former India captain Virat Kohli is all set to script history on Thursday as he takes the field against the West Indies in the second and final Test of the series. The Indian batting mainstay will be playing his 500th international match of what has been one of the more illustrious careers in the sport in its 300-plus-year history.
Ever since his international debut in 2008, Virat has solidified his status as a legend in the game. Though cricket fans knew that this under-19 World Cup-winning skipper was destined for greatness, the way he went on a record-breaking spree in the 2010s is something unprecedented in the sport. Not many in the game can boast of a prime that Virat had in the 2010s, which saw him become the 'ICC Men's Player of the Decade'.
Virat has represented India in 110 Test matches, in which he has scored 8,555 runs at an average of 48.88. He has scored 28 centuries and 29 half-centuries in his career, with the best score of 254'. He is India's fifth-highest run-scorer in Tests and one of the modern era's greats in the format.
Virat has smashed a total of seven double centuries, which is the highest by an Indian batter. The highest number of double tons are hit by Aussie legend Don Bradman, who has scored 12 of them.
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Virat the Test captain is one of India's biggest success stories. He led India in 68 Test matches. Out of these, Virat has won 40 Tests, lost only 17 and drawn 11. With a win percentage of 58.82, he is one of India's best Test captains. His legacy as Test captain is three ICC World Test Championship maces, being the first Indian skipper to win a series against Australia in Australia and building a world-class pace attack.
The 34-year-old has a solid Test record against West Indies. In 15 matches, he has scored 898 runs at an average of 44.90. He has scored two centuries and six fifties, with the best score of 200. He has not had the best outings of his career in the Windies. In 10 Tests played in the Caribbean, he has scored 539 runs at an average of 38.50. He has scored a century and three fifties in Windies, with the best score of 200.
In 274 ODI matches, Virat has scored 12,898 runs at an average of 57.32. He has scored 46 centuries and 65 half-centuries. He is India's second-highest run-scorer in ODI cricket. Overall, he is the fifth-highest-run scorer in ODI cricket. Virat is the fastest ODI player in history to score 8,000 runs (175 innings), 9,000 runs (194 innings), 10,000 runs (205 innings), 11,000 runs (222 innings) and 12,000 runs (242 innings).
The veteran batter is the highest-run scorer in the T20I format in its history. In 115 matches, he has scored 4,008 runs at an average of 52.73. He has scored one century and 37 fifties in the format, with the best score of 122'. He also has 38 fifty-plus scores, the highest by any player. Virat turns his 'Beast Mode' on in T20 World Cups. With 1,141 runs in 27 matches at an average of 81.50 and 14 fifties, he is the leading run-scorer ever in the tournament.
He won the 'Player of the Tournament' award in 2014 and 2016. He has otherworldly stats while chasing in T20 World Cups. In nine innings, Virat has scored 518 runs at a batting average of 518.00! This is because he was dismissed only once while chasing. He has scored half-centuries in seven innings while chasing.
In 499 international matches, Virat has scored 25,461 runs at an average of 53.48 in 558 innings. He has scored 75 centuries and 131 fifties, with best score of 254'. He is the sixth-highest run-scorer in the sport's history and has the second-highest number of centuries. Ever since the 2000s, nobody has scored runs and centuries at the rate Virat has done. Against West Indies, Virat has a strong international record.
In 71 matches, he has scored 3,729 runs at an average of 58.26. He has scored 11 centuries and 23 fifties in 74 innings, with the best score of 200. In West Indies, he has played 31 international matches, scoring 1,476 runs at an average of 47.61. He has scored five centuries and seven centuries in 34 innings, with the best score of 200.
