Gabba Test: Virat Kohli achieves another record-breaking feat against Australia

Virat Kohli has played enough magical knocks for India that the batter continues to register his name in the record books in the midst of a dry spell. The former Indian skipper is currently playing Down Under for the five-match Border Gavaskar Trophy series. The series has witnessed the conclusion of the first two Tests, with India winning the opening fixture in Perth and Australia claiming the pink-ball contest in Adelaide. While the star Indian batter finally reached his 81st career ton in the second innings of the Perth Test, his bat has been eerily quiet in other innings across the BGT so far. However, irrespective of the rough patch, Kohli smashed another record as he joined the Indian Playing XI for the Gabba Test, the third BGT fixture.

Virat Kohli joins Sachin Tendulkar in an elusive list against Australia

India won the toss, and Rohit Sharma opted to bowl first against the Aussies in the Brisbane Test. The skipper then named the playing XI, with Virat Kohli expectedly included in the list. With the Gabba Test, Virat Kohli became only the second player to play 100 matches against the Kangaroos across formats. The first player to achieve this feat was Kohli's idol and the "God of Cricket," Sachin Tendulkar. Over his 24-year career, Tendulkar played 39 Tests and 71 ODI games against Australia, scoring a cumulative total of 6706 runs across both formats.

Virat Kohli, who debuted in 2008 in the 50-over format, has played 28 Tests, 49 ODIs, and 23 T20Is against Australia. In the meantime, the modern-day legend has amassed 2,615 runs in Tests, 2,367 in ODIs, and 794 in T20Is against the Kangaroos. The Gabba Test, which started with rain lashing the venue, is now recorded as Kohli's 100th face-off against the Aussies. Day 1 of the Gabba Test was washed out, with just 13.2 overs being bowled in the opening innings. The Australian opening duo of Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney posted 28 runs before the drizzle engulfed Brisbane. Stretching across lunch and tea, stumps were called with incessant rain hitting the iconic venue.

Kohli, who posted a ton in the Perth Test, will look to redeem himself after the forgettable outing in Adelaide, where he managed just 7 and 9 across both innings against the pink ball. If the star Indian batter manages to hit another ton in the BGT, he would join Sunil Gavaskar as the second Indian to register five Test hundreds at all five major Australian venues. Moreover, he would become only the third visiting player to accomplish this feat, following Gavaskar and England’s Alastair Cook.