In a historic moment during the first Test against New Zealand at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Virat Kohli surpassed MS Dhoni to become India’s second-most capped player across all formats. With 536 international appearances, Kohli now trails only Sachin Tendulkar, who holds the record with 664 caps.
Kohli’s journey to this milestone includes participation in 115 Tests, 295 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 125 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). Throughout his career, he has amassed an impressive total of 27,041 international runs. As captain, he led India in 213 matches, including 68 Tests, 95 ODIs, and 50 T20Is.
Most Capped Indian Players Across Formats
- Sachin Tendulkar – 664 caps
- Virat Kohli – 536 caps
- MS Dhoni – 535 caps
- Rahul Dravid – 504 caps
- Rohit Sharma – 486 caps
A Challenging Return to No. 3 for Virat Kohli9
Despite this significant achievement, Virat Kohli’s performance in the match was less than stellar. He was dismissed for a duck after just eight balls by New Zealand pacer William O’Rourke. This marked a return to the No. 3 batting position for Kohli for the first time since August 2016, a role he had not filled in Test cricket for eight years.
The decision to promote Kohli came after Shubman Gill was ruled out due to neck stiffness. Consequently, Sarfaraz Khan was brought in at No. 4 but also fell victim to New Zealand’s bowling attack, leaving India in a precarious position at just 12 runs for three wickets.
The Match Situation
As rain interrupted play on Day Two of the Test, India found themselves struggling at 13 for three. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant were at the crease, facing relentless pressure from New Zealand’s seamers.
Kohli’s batting history at No. 4 has been far more successful; he has scored 7,355 runs at an average of 52.53 from that position, including 25 centuries. In contrast, his stint at No. 3 has yielded only 97 runs across seven innings with an average of just 16.16.
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