"King of consistency is back to haunt the Aussies on their home turf"- Fans hail Virat Kohli for 81st international century in 1st BGT 2024-25 Test

Ace batter Virat Kohli was back to his best with the bat on Day 3 of the first Border-Gavaskar Test against Australia in Perth. Amidst criticism of his recent poor Test form, the champion batter delivered a breathtaking century in the second innings to propel India's push for victory.

Walking into bat with India in a solid position at 275/2, Kohli smashed eight boundaries and two maximums to finish unbeaten on 100 from 143 deliveries. It was his first Test century this year, a ninth in Tests against Australia and seventh Down Under.

India declared the innings after Kohli reached his milestone with a boundary, setting Australia a massive target of 534 for victory.

Kohli's 81st international century with a thunderous return to form had fans on Twitter buzzing in excitement with the following reactions:

Fans continued hailing King Kohli for his brilliant century with one saying:

"DEJA VU! King Kohli dominating Australia in Australia! We've witnessed this masterpiece before! The king of consistency is back to haunt the Aussies on their home turf!"

"The King is back, dominating the Aussies at Perth with a masterclass of resilience and class. Another record, another milestone this man keeps rewriting history," said a fan.

"One of the more savoured hundreds for Virat Kohli and his supporters. Not necessarily in terms of the match situation, but for the challenges he's faced in Test cricket in the past few years. Well played," a fan tweeted.

"Anushka has been right by my side through thick and thin" - Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli thanked his wife and Bollywood star Anushka Sharma for being by his side during a torrid run with the bat in recent times. The 36-year-old became the first Indian batter with seven Test centuries in Australia - third most by a visiting batter Down Under in history.

Speaking to the local broadcasters during the innings break, Kohli said:

"Anushka has been right by my side through thick and thin. She knows everything that goes on behind the scenes. Knows what goes on in the head when you're not performing well. I'm not a guy who hangs around for the sake of it. I take pride in performing for the country."

Meanwhile, Team India enjoyed one of their most incredible days in Test cricket in Australia, leaving the hosts in disarray. Australia are reeling at 12/3 in their run-chase of 534 at stumps on Day 3.