Virat Kohli surpasses Virender Sehwag to become India’s 5th highest run-getter in Test cricket

Senior Team India batter Virat Kohli went past Virender Sehwag’s Test tally on Day 2 of the Dominica Test against West Indies on Thursday to become the country’s fifth-highest run-getter in the format.

Sehwag scored 8503 in 103 Test matches at an average of 49.43, with 23 hundreds and 31 fifties. By stumps on Day 2 in Dominica, Kohli had 8515 runs to his credit. Playing in his 110th Test, he has notched up 28 hundreds and as many fifties and has an average of 48.93. At stumps on Day 2, Kohli was batting on 36 off 96 balls, with India at 312/2.

Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar is on top of the illustrious list of players with the most runs by an Indian batter in Test cricket. He is of course the overall leading run-getter as well. The Master Blaster played exactly 200 Test matches, scoring 15,921 runs at an average of 53.78, with the aid of 51 hundreds and 68 fifties.

Current Team India head coach Rahul Dravid is second on the list. He played 163 Test matches, scoring 13265 runs at an average of 52.63. Dravid’s numbers include 36 tons and 63 fifties.

He is followed by former India captain Sunil Gavaskar - the first batter to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket. Gavaskar finished his famed career with 10,122 runs in 125 Test matches at an average of 51.12. He hit 34 hundreds and 45 fifties.

Another Indian legend, VVS Laxman, is above Kohli on the list. In 134 Test matches, he notched up 8781 runs at an average of 45.97, with 17 hundreds and 56 fifties.

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Can Kohli break his overseas Test century drought on Day 3 in Dominica?

Kohli ended his long wait for a Test century earlier this year, by registering three figures against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, it has been close to five years since he has scored a century in Tests away from home.

The 34-year-old right-handed batter’s last Test ton away from home came against Australia in Perth in December 2018 when he scored 123 off 257 balls in India’s first innings. The knock came in a losing cause as the visitors went down by 146 runs.

Since his last Test ton away from home, Kohli has scored 848 runs in 17* away Tests at an average of 29.24 with a best of 82.

(*Numbers include ongoing Test in Dominica.)