Virat Kohli joins the league of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly & Rahul Dravid

XtraTime Web Desk: Indian cricket team’s captain Virat Kohli is currently in the form of his life. Last night he achieved another record while scoring 49 runs on the second day of the fifth and final test at the Oval. While scoring these runs he became the only fourth Indian to reach 18,000 international runs. Ahead of that Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid were the Indian cricketers who had achieved this feat.




Legendary Sachin Tendulkar is leading the pack with 34,357 runs in 664 matches. While doing so he hit 100 centuries and 164 half centuries. Next in the line is Rahul Dravid who scored 24,208 runs in 509 matches. He has 48 tons and 146 half centuries. Last but not the least former India skipper Sourav Ganguly has 18,575 runs in 424 matches with 38 tons and 107 half centuries. The current Indian captain so far has scored 18,028 international runs in 343 matches and still he will bat in this game in the second innings. Beside that he has 58 tons and 85 half centuries. In this ongoing test series Kohli has scored 593 runs so far and he is the top run getter of both the sides. Behind him is England’s Jos Buttler who has 349 runs in eight innings.




Kohli has been the only bright spot in India’s batting display in the ongoing series and even blamed himself for getting out after scoring fifties in the second innings of the first and fourth Test. “The second innings at Birmingham, I think about that and the first innings at Southampton, I think about that. So that when I am in the same position next time, I don’t let the team down. I want to be able to take the team across the line,” Kohli had told Michael Holding in a chat.




Kohli’s statement impressed former India skipper Ganguly and he said: “Big players like him take responsibility on themselves and they will never come up with excuses. Kohli’s attitude towards the game is and has always been different from others. There is no doubt that Kohli is a champion batsman, but as a team where he takes them is what will be something worth seeing. The way Kohli speaks shows self-introspection is there. He needs good guidance and has to have people around who will tell him that there are areas that need to be looked into.”