Virat Kohli ends long wait for Test Hundred with ton against Australia in Ahmedabad

Kohli, who last scored a hundred in the longest format in 2019, finally scored his 28th Test century on a flat wicket in Ahmedabad, to take India closer to Australia’s first innings total of 480.

Starting the day on 59, Kohli reached the three-figure mark just under an hour after the lunch break on day 4. The star India batter is currently batting on 100 not out with the hosts total at 400/5.

The 34-year-old’s last Test hundred came against Bangladesh in the Pink Ball Test at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on November 22, 2019. That was also his last hundred in any format before he ended the barren run with a hundred in Asia Cup T20 2022.

In fact, Kohli had ended his hundred drought late last year with hundreds in T20I and ODI formats. He ended the hundred-less run with a maiden T20I ton against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup 2022 and followed that with two hundreds in ODIs against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

While this knock is his 28th Test century, Kohli’s overall hundreds is now his 75th international hundred, having scored 46 ODI hundreds and 1 T20I hundred.

This was also Kohli’s ninth hundred against Australia. He only has more hundreds (10) against Sri Lanka. He is now joint 17th with former Australia captain Michael Clarke and South Africa’s Hashim Amla for most hundreds in Test cricket.

Kohli is now not far behind his rivals Steve Smith (30) and Joe Root (29) for most hundreds for active players. Kane Williamson, who scored a hundred earlier this year, is currently on 26 hundreds.

This was also Kohli’s 50th Test at home and what a memorable one it has been for him as he scored his 28th Test Hundred and crossed 4000-run mark in the longest format at home.

With this hundred, Kohli surpassed Dilip Vengsarkar, Mohammed Azharuddin and Virender Sehwag for the fourth most hundreds at home. Kohli, who has 14 hundreds in India, is only behind Sachin Tendulkar (22), Sunil Gavaskar (16) and Rahul Dravid (15).