Pakistan skipper Babar Azam became a butt of jokes after Virat Kohli scripted history with his hundred in the second Test between India and the West Indies.
For years, Babar Azam's fans have compared his stats with that of Virat Kohli, one of the greatest cricketers of all time, considering he has over 25,000 runs in international cricket.
On the other hand, many pundits, including former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull have accused Babar Azam of scoring runs on placid sub-continental tracks.
Moreover, Babar Azam has struggled to make runs in SENA countries. SENA is an acronym for South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia.
While Virat Kohli has scored centuries in Australia, England, South Africa, and New Zealand, Babar Azam has only made one hundred outside Asia which came against the Kangaroos at the Gabba in Brisbane in 2019.
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On Friday, the premier India batter scripted a unique world record as he became the first cricketer to smash a hundred in his 500th international match.
The Delhi-born superstar's feat came on Day 2 of the second Test against West Indies played at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain in Trinidad.
For the unversed, the second Test against the West Indies is Virat Kohli's 500th match. If we further break down the stats, he has represented India in 110 Tests, 274 ODIs, and 115 T20Is.
Incidentally, Virat Kohli's 76th hundred in international cricket during the weekend made him the fastest to the milestone as he toppled his idol Sachin Tendulkar from the top spot. While Sachin Tendulkar needed 587 essays to touch the landmark, Virat Kohli required only 559 knocks.
Virat Kohli, who was unbeaten on 87 on Day 1 of the second Test, looked in imperious touch against the Caribbean bowlers. In addition to milking them for ones and twos with relative comfort, the Delhi-born cricketer never appeared to be getting out. But an unfortunate misunderstanding between him and Ravindra Jadeja led to his dismissal as Virat Kohli had to leave the ground after making a well-compiled ton. A direct throw ran him out for 121.
Though he was utterly disappointed with his departure from the crease as he looked set for a double century, the 34-year-old still made history at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad.
Before Virat Kohli, only three Indians participated in 500 international matches – Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Also, Virat Kohli surpassed Virender Sehwag to become the fifth-highest run-scorer for India in Test cricket.
While Sehwag's run tally in the five-day version of the sport stood at 8586, Kohli now has 8676 runs in red ball cricket.
Plus, the talismanic Team India batter equaled Sir Don Bradman's record of 29 centuries in Test cricket. Sir Don Bradman is considered the best batter in cricket history, and equaling his feat would have given Kohli a lot of satisfaction.
The hundred against Kraigg Brathwaite and his boys helped Virat Kohli close the gap on the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, who has five centuries more than the former in the Whites. India's top hundred makers in Tests are Sachin Tendulkar (51), Rahul Dravid (36), and Sunil Gavaskar (34).
Talking specifically about making three-figure scores at No.4, Virat Kohli went past former West Indies great Brian Lara, who scored 24 tons in that position. Though Kohli has 25 at that spot, three men are ahead of him, and they are Sachin Tendulkar (44), Jacques Kallis (35), and Mahela Jayawardene (30).
Among active cricketers, Joe Root of England and Steve Smith of Australia have 19 centuries at No.4.
Moreover, unlike Sachin Tendulkar, who could only complete one hundred in the Caribbean during his illustrious career that lasted 24 years, it was Virat Kohli's second ton in the West Indies following his maiden double ton in 2016.
However, he's still way behind Sunil Gavaskar, who retired with seven centuries in the West Indies. On the other hand, Rahul Dravid, Dilip Sardesai, and Polly Umrigar – finished their careers with three tons a piece in the Caribbean.
Former India wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta called Virat Kohli's 76th international ton a “huge achievement”.
“That's a huge achievement – hundred No. 29. I think it was a really good innings and again something that didn't come very easy to him. He really had to work for it, so you've got to give more credit for that,” Deep Dasgupta told ESPNCricinfo.
“No matter what people say, numbers do matter. I'd be honest. When you look at our society as such, most of our judgment is based on numbers. More importantly, it's just the fact that he hadn't scored a hundred away from home, out of Asia I believe, in so many years.”
“It's not just about what everyone else is saying. It's also about yourself. Virat is someone who has said that himself before as well – it's about trying to prove himself. It's not about what anyone else is saying or what people think. I think that would be a monkey off his back, that hundred. He would be relieved,” the cricketer-turned-pundit added.
Virat Kohli's performance in the series earned him praise from the legendary Sunil Gavaskar and former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan. In his two knocks in the Tests against the West Indies, Virat Kohli scored 76 and 121.
Zaheer Khan emphasized that having the captaincy burden off his shoulders helped Virat Kohli to focus on his batting.
“Looking at that and looking at the space where Virat is in right now, you know that enjoyment factor is going to be huge. Keeping yourself fresh is something which is going to be very important for him going forward. But I think the fact that he doesn't have that time and energy going in right now after the other aspects of the game the captaincy brings, I think it is going to help him,” Zaheer Khan said on JioCinema.
“He's constantly involved in the game. I think that those aspects are going to be very important for him going forward. But it's good to see him in good space and scoring runs. And I think that's what he should just right now do,” the ex-India speedster elaborated.
“Kohli didn't miss out as he had in the first Test match and duly got a century. What that showed is that it's not just talent but the ability to understand the opposition, the pitch and the conditions to get a big score. There are three or four danger areas for a batter. One is at the start of his innings when he is yet to come to terms with the pitch and get his footwork going, the second is when he has reached a half-century and has lost focus for a brief while as he savors the moment and acknowledges it to the crowd and his teammates, the third is when he is in his 90s when he realizes the prospect of getting a century and so can play a rash shot in trying to get there quickly and lose his wicket,” Sunil Gavaskar wrote in his column for an Indian publication.
“The fourth is after getting a century when there's a sense of achievement and joy that leads to lapse in concentration. Like after getting to a 50, a batter after reaching a century is better off being at the non-striker end for an over or two while his focus comes back. Kohli knew all that and so didn't miss out this time around,” he concluded.
Virat Kohli will be back in action in the three-match ODI series, which begins on July 27 at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
Virat Kohli has 46 three-figure scores to his name in the 50-over format, with Sachin Tendulkar occupying the top spot with 49.
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