While a hundred with the bat continues to elude Virat Kohli, the Test skipper has hit a unique 100 to join an elite list of Indian players who have taken 100 or more Test catches. Kohli completed 100 catches in red-ball format when he caught Temba Bavuma off Mohammed Shami’s bowling. The 33-year-old became the sixth Indian, who is not a wicket-keeper to reach this milestone. He is also the fourth Indian after Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Azharuddin to take 100 catches in both ODIs and Test.
Current head coach Dravid is at the top of the list with 210 catches in 164 Test matches. Following Dravid in the elite list is VVS Laxman, who plucked 135 catches from 134 Tests. Master Blaster Tendulkar pouched 115 catches in 200 Tests he played for India. Legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar has 108 catches to his name in 125 Test appearances. Former Indian skipper Mohammed Azharuddin, who used to be a gun fielder has 105 catches from 99 matches.
Kohli achieved this feat during the ongoing Day 2 of the third and the final Test against South Africa at Newlands, Cape Town. This could have been Kohli’s 100th Test had he not missed the previous Test at the Wanderers, Johannesburg due upper back spasm. On the other hand, Kohli's teammate and his former deputy Ajinkya Rahane is next in line to join the elite list. Rahane has taken 99 catches from 82 Tests.
Earlier in the Test, Kohli scored a disciplined 79-run knock to help India reach 223 in the first innings. The 33-year-old last hit a century in 2019. With the series levelled at 1-1, India eye their first ever Test series win in the rainbow nation.
