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India's Test captain Virat Kohli, who returned from an injury to play the underway decider third Test match against South Africa in Cape Town, has finally surpassed India's head coach Rahul Dravid record on Tuesday (January 11). And Virat achieved this feat on Dravid's birthday. Nothing could have made it more special than that.
Before the match started, Virat had amassed 611 runs at an exceptional average of 50.91 playing in South Africa in Tests, which included two centuries and two half-centuries and he needed just 14 runs to leave behind Dravid's record of scoring most runs on South African soil which is 624 in 11 matches at an average of 29.71.
And by scoring 17 not out off 80 balls in the match which is still underway, Virat achieved this feat only become the second best as the Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar already sits on top of the list, who had scored 1161 runs in 15 Test matches at an average of 46.44.
Virat is still batting at 17 alongside Ajinkya Rahane (4) as India's scoreboard read 99 for the loss of three wickets.
The 33-year-old will look to make the best of this start and touch the three figure mark which he is yet to do.
The run machine, who is not in top of his form, has not produced a century in the longest format for couple of years now.
Moreover, it's been over two years, since he smashed his last International ton. His last centurion knock came off in Kolkata, against Bangladesh in 2019 in a Day-Night Test. But when the time gets tough, the toughy Virat rises to the occasion. This is what he is known for.
Just before the match, former India spin wizard Harbhajan Singh threw his weight behind Virat and was optimistic that the captain will end his century drought.
"Virat Kohli will return in this Test. I hope his century drought breaks in this match, it's been a long time since we have seen a hundred from him," Harbhajan said.
Virat, along with ending his century drought, will also look to put a halt to India's Test series drought on South African soil which is due since long.
