Meme-makers went into overdrive after premier India batter Virat Kohli scripted a unique world record, becoming the first cricketer to smash a hundred in his 500th international match on Friday. 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.

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.

With his ton in Trinidad, Virat Kohli matched Sir Donald Bradman's record of 29 centuries in Tests. Bradman is considered the greatest 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.

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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.

Noticeably, it was Virat Kohli's first overseas hundred since 2018, when he reached three figures against Australia in Perth.

The ex-India captain, however, did not give much importance to these stats in his interaction with the media at the close of play on Day 2.

“Honestly, these things are for others to talk on the outside. I have got 15 centuries away from home, not quite a bad record. I have got more centuries away from home than I have got at home. We haven't played 30 Test matches away from home. I don't know how many we have played but it is not a big number. I have got a few 50-plus scores but, with me if I get a fifty it is like I missed out on a hundred and if I get 120 it is like I missed out on a double hundred. I just have to focus on what I can do for the team and try to bat to the best of my abilities and help the team as much as possible,” Virat Kohli said.

“These stats and milestones, if I do them in a situation where the team needs me, for me that's more special than just ticking the numbers. Honestly, it is going to mean nothing in 15-20 years. It is what impact you left on the field which is more special for me and for the team,” he added.

“I was pretty happy with the way I went about things, took my time. They were bowling pretty decent areas when I walked. I had to be patient as the ball was getting soft, the surface was slow and the outfield was slow as well. Run scoring wasn't as fluent as one would like it to be. I had to do the hard yards and because of all these factors it was very satisfying,” Virat Kohli explained.

West Indies icon Courtney Walsh who watched Virat Kohli's knock from the commentary box, compared the Indian superstar with Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, and Vivian Richards.

“Well, as an Indian great, I would rate him just behind Sachin. Sachin is one of the greatest I have seen and played against,” Courtney Walsh said on JioCinema.

“Brian Lara, Viv Richards, I will put them up from a West Indian point of view. Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh. Two gentleman I played when I was a youngster. There are also Graham Gooch from England and Javed Miandad, against whom I probably did not as much games, but the value they put on their wickets reminded me of Virat Kohli as well. He doesn't want to go. So I will definitely have him in my top 4, top 5 greatest cricketers I have seen,” the West Indies legend elaborated.

“He has got the passion for the game, he wants to leave a mark in the game. I remember having a conversation with him when I was the selector for West Indies, and he was the captain. We were having a chat. You could tell that he wants to be the best. He was willing to seek out advice from anyone that will help to do so. I am not surprised by the achievement. The passion he has and the drive he has to be the top 3, top 5 in everything he does,” Walsh opined.

Joining the group of Virat Kohli's admirers following his splendid knock against the West Indians were his Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) teammate Dinesh Karthik and former India wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta.

“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. I think that would be a monkey off his back, that hundred. He would be relieved,” Deep Dasgupta pointed out.

“The big story of the day, unsurprisingly, is Virat Kohli, and 29 hundreds. Test cricket and Virat Kohli have been a love story for a long time. They have really got along really well over a period of time. The last two years haven't been his best years,” Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz.

“In this Test match and the previous one in West Indies, the one thing that he has shown a lot is what happens between his ears. He has fought it out. The only way he looked like he would get out was run out, and eventually, that ended up happening. But the man showed his class,” he continued.

“We can all say about the lovely shots that Kohli played, the cover drives and the pulls. Here is a man playing his 500th match, but he played it like it was his fifth match. That hunger, on a pitch that probably really didn't aid stroke-making, he fought through it. We saw that in the first Test as well, and we are seeing it again now,” Dinesh Karthik summed up.