India's batting maestro Virat Kohli scripted history on October 18, completing 9,000 Test runs during the second innings of the first Test against New Zealand at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium. By crossing the 53-run mark, Kohli joined an elite group of Indian cricketers, including Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, and Rahul Dravid, who have reached this remarkable achievement.
List of Indian batters with 9000 Test runs
| Player | Matches | Innings | Not out | Runs | HS | Ave | 100 | 50 |
| SR Tendulkar | 200 | 329 | 33 | 15921 | 248* | 53.78 | 51 | 68 |
| R Dravid | 163 | 284 | 32 | 13265 | 270 | 52.63 | 36 | 63 |
| SM Gavaskar | 125 | 214 | 16 | 10122 | 236* | 51.12 | 34 | 45 |
| Virat Kohli | 116* | 197 | 13 | 9000 | 254* | 48.91 | 29 | 31 |
Virat Kohli reached the 9,000-run milestone in his 197th Test innings, making him the fourth-fastest Indian and the 13th-fastest overall to achieve this feat.
Kohli has added another feather to his illustrious cap by becoming the second-most capped Indian cricketer of all time. Playing his 536th international match against New Zealand in Bengaluru, he surpassed MS Dhoni's record of 535 caps. Only the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, with 664 caps, stands ahead of Kohli. Recently, Kohli achieved another big milestone by becoming the fastest batter to reach 27,000 international runs. He accomplished this feat in just 594 innings during the series against Bangladesh. In the ongoing Test match against New Zealand, Kohli scored a much-needed half-century, his first in 2024.
Kohli clicked just when India needed him the most as he scored a crucial 70 runs off 102 balls coupled with Rohit Sharma and Sarfaraz Khan's fifties.
New Zealand took a commanding lead in the first Test against India, securing a massive 356-run advantage in the first innings. Rachin Ravindra's century was the highlight of New Zealand's innings, as they posted a total of 402 runs.
India, who were bowled out for a mere 46 runs in their first innings, fought back in their second innings. Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal provided a solid start, adding 72 runs for the opening wicket. However, Ajaz Patel dismissed both openers, bringing Virat Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan to the crease.
Kohli and Sarfaraz formed a crucial partnership, with both batsmen scoring half-centuries. Kohli's dismissal towards the end of the day left India trailing by 125 runs, setting up an exciting Day 4.
