​​​​​​​A DIFFERENT KIND OF CENTURY

Going Into His 100th Test, Virat Kohli Was Expected To Be At The Peak Of His Batting Powers. But The Runs Have Dried Up Post Pandemic & There Seems To Be A Sense Of Turmoil Around His Career. Will Mohali Mark An Important Turning Point For The Best Indian Batter Of His Generation?

- Partha Bhaduri

77.23 Virat Kohli’s average while amassing 1004 runs, including five hundreds and two fifties in 15 innings (9 Tests), the highest among batsmen appearing in 10 innings or more in Tests involving India and Sri Lanka. 

As Virat Kohli becomes only the 71st cricketer to get to 100 Tests, he can be forgiven for having mixed feelings about the occasion. Like those ‘Greatest Hits’ albums which can simultaneously celebrate and complete a musical career, big individual landmarks in sport can both cement legacy and uproot relevance.

It is only the rarest of the rare champion who can slip seamlessly into dignified autumn after an era-defining spring. Which path will be chosen by Kohli, a fiercely focused colossus of the modern game who has lost one crown after another in the lead-up to this milestone?

Since at least early Dec 2014 in Adelaide, Kohli has had the zeitgeist appeal of a leader who has proudly shaped, in his own words, a ‘New India’ comprising a brave breed of home-grown cricketers who have offered hope for Test cricket. If Test cricket is a culture, Kohli has been its world icon.

A feisty, loud bundle of energy on the field, Kohli redefined the team’s approach to fitness standards and pace bowling. His aggression sometimes put people off but as captain, he also played fair and called out those who weren’t.