Kohli Is Eyeing To Surpass Dhoni In Test Records Ahead Of India vs. England

Indian skipper Virat Kohli is eyeing to surpass MS Dhoni and former Australian captain Ricky Ponting in a number of records ahead of the home Test series against England.

India and England are set to play four Tests, five Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), and three One-Day Internationals (ODIs), starting Feb. 5.

Former Indian captain Dhoni holds the record of leading Team India in the most number of Tests – 60. Having led India in 56 Tests so far, Kohli can emulate Dhoni’s record, provided the Delhi cricketer plays all the four Tests against England.

In terms of having played the most number of Tests for India, legendary Sachin Tendulkar is at the top of the list with 200 Tests to his name during his illustrious international career that had lasted for 24 long years. In the list of number of Tests played for India, Dhoni is placed 15th with 90 Tests, while Kohli, who has so far played 87 games for India in the whites, can surpass the former wicketkeeper-batsman in the upcoming home series against England.

Tendulkar, who holds many prestigious records in international cricket, is the only batsman to have struck an aggregate of 100 centuries across formats. While Tendulkar registered 100 tons in 664 international games, second in the list is Ponting, who scored 71 international centuries in 560 matches. However, 32-year-old Kohli has registered 70 international centuries in only 423 matches.

Kohli and Ponting are also tied on 41 international centuries as captain. With four Tests, three ODIs, and five T20Is lined up in the next two months, Kohli certainly has the potential to pip Ponting in these records.

Kohli, who first played in a Test against England in 2012, has played 19 Tests against these opponents since, scoring 1,570 runs at an average of 49.06. In the upcoming four Tests against England, Kohli could become the third Indian to score 2,000 or more runs against these opponents after Tendulkar (2,535 runs) and Sunil Gavaskar (2,483 runs).

The first two Tests between India and England are scheduled to be played in Chennai, before both the teams head to Ahmedabad for the final two Tests. Ahmedabad’s Sardar Patel Stadium is also going to host the five-match T20I series, while the three ODIs will be played in Pune.