Talismanic batter Virat Kohli is set to be back in action in the red-format with Bangladesh’s first Test. India are beginning their Test season with a two-match Test series against their neighbours from September 19 in Chennai. Following this series, the two-time World Test Championship finalists will host New Zealand for a three-match series before heading to Australia for five matches, the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Apart from several names making their return, modern-day batting icon Virat Kohli will also be donning whites after a long gap of nine months. Notably, Kohli missed the entire England series due to the birth of his son, Akaay.
Three reasons why Virat Kohli can score his next century in first Test
As Kohli, regarded as one of the greatest hitters of all time , is set to make his return, let’s go through three reasons why he can come up with another Test century.
Test comeback after nine months
As mentioned, Virat Kohli will play his first Test in nine months as he missed the England series due to the birth of his second child. Needless to say, all eyes will be on the batter considering he will represent India in the white jersey after so long. Kohli, known for his hard hitting skills and aggressive nature on the field, will be eyeing a memorable comeback, and seal it with a century. Making things more favourable for the batter would be home ground conditions as well as a decent record of 437 runs against Bangladesh.
Year-long Test century drought
Virat Kohli, who has recorded 8848 runs so far from 113 matches in the longest-format, has 29 Test centuries to his name. The last time the batter came up with a hundred was in July 2023 when he hit 121 runs against South Africa. The batter would aim to extend the century tally to 30 as well as end his year-long century drought.
152 runs short of major milestone
The former Indian captain will be hungry to leave a mark in the forthcoming series considering there are so many records to offer. Kohli is just 152 runs away from getting 9000 runs in the five-day format. If he achieves the record, he will become the only fourth Indian batter to do so, joining the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sunil Gavaskar. Not only this, but with one more century, he will go past legendary Australian batter Don Bradman who he is tied with at 29 Test tons.