Virat Kohli’s records: Becomes the first Indian captain to score 4,000 Test runs

Virat Kohli’s records: Leading from the front with the bat in hand, the Indian captain achieved a trio of feats at Southampton.

During the fourth day of the fourth Test of the ongoing Pataudi Trophy between England and India at Southampton, Indian captain Virat Kohli continued his spree of milking records at the highest level.

During the course of scoring his 19th Test half-century, Kohli became the first Indian captain to score 4,000 runs in Test cricket. It might amaze you but is the truth that no other Indian captain has ever crossed the 4,000-run mark with the bat while also leading the side.

Kohli has achieved this feat, surpassing some previous stalwarts of Indian cricket in Mohammad Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Kohli took the baton from Dhoni in Australia towards the fag end of the year 2014. The next on the list is Dhoni, who had scored 3,454 runs in 60 Test matches as captain at an average of 40.64. Dhoni is just above Sunil Gavaskar, who had scored 3,449 in 47 Test matches at an average of  50.72.

Furthermore, Kohli also became the sixth visiting captain and the first Asian captain to score 500+ runs in a Test series in England. In the ongoing series, Kohli has been the highest run-scorer from both the sides, scoring 544 runs in four matches at a whopping average of 68 and a strike rate of 57.02. The next on the list is Jos Buttler, who has scored 260 runs in four matches at an average of 37.14 and a strike rate of 68.42.

Kohli brought up another record during India’s unsuccessful attempt at chasing 245 runs in the last innings, albeit a combined one with Ajinkya Rahane. The duo stitched a 101-run stand for the fourth wicket which ended up becoming the highest fourth-wicket partnership by Indian batsmen in the fourth innings of a Test match.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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