Bhubaneswar: India will play the first pink ball Test outside the country when they take on Australia at the Adelaide Oval. The match begins Thursday. Indian skipper Virat Kohli from the beginning of the tour Down Under has said that the Test series is the most important for his side. He said they are keen to retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy. India won the trophy in 2018 beating Australia at home 2-1. In the process India created history by winning a series in Australia for the first time in 71 years. Well history also beckons Virat Kohli when he leads India on to the ground in the pink ball game.
Kohli has never spoken about personal milestones putting the team always ahead. However, he is on the cusp of a huge world record. He will get it if he gets a century in the pink ball Test. Kohli has gone without a century this year, so the game will be the last chance for him to achieve the feat.
But more importantly, if he manages to get that ton, it will be his 42nd as captain. In the process he will break former Australian captain Ricky Ponting’s record of scoring 41 centuries as captain. Currently the record is being jointly held by both Kohli and Ponting. So if Kohli scores a ton, he will go past Ponting.
Well Kohli will be playing only the first game of the four-Test series. He will be returning to India after the match to be with his wife and Bollywood star Anushka Sharma for the birth of their first child. It means the day/night Test is Kohli’s only chance to help his team in retaining the prestigious Border/Gavaskar Trophy. No doubt the pressure will be on Kohli, but then the Indian captain has weathered many such situations in the past and come out on top.
Captains with most centuries
Name Matches Centuries
Ricky Ponting 324 41
Virat Kohli 187 41
Graeme Smith 286 33
Steven Smith 93 20
Michael Clarke 139 19