Virat Kohli has been one of the best batters of the modern era. In fact, he will go down as one of the greatest cricketers to have ever played the game. He is setting new records every now and then.
Even though the 36-year-old has not been in the best of forms, he has a chance to create history and create a unique record in the third Test at the Gabba in Brisbane which starts on the 14th of December. Kohli can become only the third visiting player to score a century in each of the five major Test venues in Australia.
Sunil Gavaskar and Alastair Cook are the only batters who have got a century at all five major Test venues. Gavaskar scored three tons on his first tour to Australia. He got hundreds in Brisbane, Perth (WACA) and Melbourne. He missed out in Sydney and Adelaide but he racked up tons in the latter two venues during the 1985-86 tour.
Meanwhile, Cook also got his first ton on Australian soil during his maiden tour. He struck a hundred in Perth (WACA) in the 2006-07 Ashes before getting three hundreds (in Brisbane, Adelaide and Sydney) in the 2010-11 Ashes which England won. He smashed a fine 244 in Melbourne in the 2017-18 Ashes.
Kohli and his impressive record in Australia
Kohli already has seven Test hundreds in Australia. He got his maiden Test ton in Adelaide back on the 2011-12 tour. In the 2014-15 series, he smashed hundreds in Adelaide (two – one in each innings), Melbourne and Sydney. He racked up a stunning century in Perth (Optus Stadium) in the 2018-19 series before getting another ton at the same venue in the first Test of this series.
The Gabba in Brisbane is the only major Test venue where Kohli hasn’t scored a ton yet in Australia. The former India captain has played only one Test match at the Gabba. That was the second Test of the 2014-15 series. He got scores of 19 and 1 in the two innings.
Despite the twin failures in the pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval, Kohli’s record in Australia is superb. He averages 52.67 while amassing 1475 runs from 15 Test matches. His seven Test hundreds on Australian soil are the joint second-highest by any visiting batter. Jack Hobbs with nine hundreds sits at the top of that list. Walter Hammond is equal to Kohli with seven centuries.
