The Indian team made Virat Kohli's 100th Test a memorable one by crushing Sri Lanka by an innings and 222 runs in the opening match of the ongoing bilateral series on Sunday, (March 6). The Sri Lankan team was unable to mount any resistance against the Indian team, and the match was lost in three days. Besides, former Indian skipper Kohli achieved a unique milestone in this match. Take a look at some of Virat Kohli's noteworthy Test records, as well as the first Test match report.
India vs Sri Lanka 2022: First Test Match Report
The Indian team was under pressure after losing the away Test series against South Africa in January. They needed to make a strong comeback in the series opener against Sri Lanka in order to maintain their position in the ICC Test Championship points standings. Thankfully, the Indian team replied brilliantly and did not allow their opponents a chance in the match. Rohit Sharma made his Test captaincy debut in this match. He began his career as a Test skipper with a resounding win. On the other side, Sri Lanka have plummeted to third place in the ICC World Test Championship Points table as a result of this disappointing loss.
India’s First Innings
India chose to bat first in Mohali and set up a massive 574/8d in their first innings. All-rounder, Ravindra Jadeja led the way for the hosts with an undefeated 175*-run knock. When Jadeja walked out to bat, India had amassed 228 runs for the loss of five wickets. The flamboyant Jadeja then put up three 100-run partnerships in the middle with Rishabh Pant (96), Ravi Ashwin (61), and Mohammad Sami, bringing the total close to 600. Suranga Lakmal, Vishwa Fernando, and Lasith Embuldeniya each took two wickets for Sri Lanka.
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Sri Lanka’s First Innings
Sri Lanka were only able to reach 174 in their first innings due to the pressure of India's first innings total. The Lankan team's lone combatant was Pathum Nissanka. He scored an unbeaten 61*. Ravindra Jadeja came out with a lot of energy with the ball after a good outing with the bat. He took five Lankan wickets in this innings.
Sri Lanka’s Second Innings
India were right to ask Sri Lanka to bat again. The Lankan side began their second innings with a 400-run deficit, and their performance was once again underwhelming. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 178 runs, allowing India to win by an innings and 222 runs. The visiting team's best scorer was wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella. He went on to make an undefeated 51*-run. Jadeja once again did the job for India with four wickets in this innings. Off-spinner, Ravi Ashwin also took four wickets. Ravindra Jadeja batted and bowled superbly in this match, earning him the player of the match award.
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Virat’s 100th Test: The Indian Maestro’s Notable Records
Virat Kohli made his 100th Test appearance in this match following his debut in the longer-version format against the West Indies in 2011. Virat has smashed countless records and established himself as one of the top players in the game's history during this period. He also became the sixth Indian batter to reach the 8,000-run mark in Test cricket. Kohli scored 45 runs in his 100th Test before succumbing to Embuldeniya. However, he did attain the 8K Test runs milestone when he scored 38. Virat also became the fifth-fastest to reach 8,000 Test runs among Indian players.
India's top Test run-scorers
Player |
Innings |
Runs |
HS |
Ave |
100s |
Sachin Tendulkar |
329 |
15,921 |
248* |
53.78 |
51 |
Rahul Dravid |
284 |
13,265 |
270 |
52.63 |
36 |
Sunil Gavaskar |
214 |
10,122 |
236* |
51.12 |
34 |
VVS Laxman |
225 |
8,781 |
281 |
45.97 |
17 |
Virender Sehwag |
178 |
8,503 |
319 |
49.43 |
23 |
Virat Kohli |
169 |
8,007 |
254* |
50.35 |
27 |
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
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Besides, Virat Kohli is India's most successful Test skipper. The Virat Kohli-led Indian Test side has won 40 of their 68 matches. Kohli has the second-most Test hundreds (20) as a captain, after only South Africa's Graeme Smith's 25. He is also only the second player in Test captaincy history to hit two hundred, following Greg Chappell. The coveted Indian batter stepped aside as Test captain last January, allowing him to focus only on his batting. Virat can shatter many more records in the future if he can find his own rhythm with the bat.
Afterward
Virat’s 100th Test was a memorable one for India, as they were merciless in their victory over Sri Lanka. India's dominant victory against Sri Lanka in the first Test demonstrates the team's current level of confidence. However, Virat Kohli's century drought has continued. He hasn't hit a century since November 2019. Virat will seek to score his 28th Test century when the two sides meet again on March 12 in Bengaluru for the second Test. on the other hand, the Sri Lankan team had a disappointing showing in the first match and would be hoping to improve in the second.
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