Indian skipper Virat Kohli added yet another feather on his cap as he smashed his 25th Test hundred to become the first player to reach the three-figure mark in the longest format of the game at the Perth Stadium.
The 30-year-old achieved the milestone during India's first innings on the third day of the second Test against Australia at the new Optus Stadium in Perth. He reached the landmark by punching the ball straight down the ground to collect four runs off Mitchell Starc's full length delivery.
It is also Kohli's 6th century in Australia, thus equalling the record of great Sachin Tendulkar.He also became the second-fastest cricketer to reach 25th Test ton, taking only 127 innings to achieve the landmark.
After bringing up his hundred, Kohli removed his helmet, raised his bat with pride and then mimicked talking with his glove in order to silence his critics as many questioned the Indian skipper's ability following his dismal performance with the bat during the victorious opening Test at the Adelaide Oval. Kohli had only managed the scores of three and 34 in the first and second innings of that Test respectively.
With the milestone, Kohli now stands third in the list of the batsmen to score most number of hundreds against Australia. Currently, former Indian batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar with 11 and eight centuries respectively are only ahead of Kohli.
Enroute to his 25th Test ton, the Indian skipper also achieved the feat of 1,000 Test runs in a calendar year on foreign soil, becoming the 11th batsman overall and third of the country to complete the milestone. Only former cricketers Rahul Dravid (1,137 runs in 18 innings in 2002) and Mohinder Amarnath (1,065 runs in 16 innings in 1983) have amassed 1,000 runs in a calendar year on away platform.
It is to be noted that Kohli evetually departed for 123, which also comprised 13 boundaries and a six, taking India's first-innings total past 250 runs and reducing the lead to 74 runs before lunch.
