Team India and Virat Kohli are all set for the third Test match against England at the newly-built Motera stadium from February 24. Squads of both teams have been named for the final two Tests with India adding Umesh Yadav to their pace attack alongside Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah. India needs to win one and draw one from the remaining two Test matches to book a place in the World Test Championship final. New Zealand have already reached the finals after their win over Pakistan earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Indian skipper Virat Kohli is eyeing a couple of records in the upcoming Pink-Ball Test against England. He is currently on level terms with MS Dhoni having 21 wins at home as India Test skipper. One more will take him ahead of the former Indian skipper and h will become the captain with the highest number of wins at home.
Virat Kohli Eye’s To Surpass MS Dhoni’s Record
“Records as a captain mean nothing to me or any other player. It is a responsibility given to me and I’m trying to do my best. This has always been the case and will remain the same, as long as I play the game. These are fickle things which look great from outside, doesn’t matter to me as an individual,” Kohli said in a virtual press conference on Tuesday.
Kohli is also on level terms with former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting. He and Ponting has 41 international centuries as captain and one more will take him past Ponting’s tally. Having gone 10 innings without registering another one to his name, the India captain would be eager to bring an end to this wait in Ahmedabad.
Also Read: Winning World Test Championship Equivalent To Winning ICC World Cup: Ishant Sharma
Virat Kohli presently has 28 Test hundreds but his recent form with the bat is rather lean as per his standards. The 32-year-old has played against the likes of New Zealand, Australia and England since the start of 2020 but haven’t quite produced performances that he consistently has for India over the years.
In the four-match Test series against England, Kohli marked his return from a paternity break. He only has a total of 145 runs to his name in 4 innings this series, with the best of 72. With a 317-run win, India bounced back in the Test series against England after losing the first Test.
This will be the only second Pink-Ball Test on Indian soil, after Kolkata hosted the first of its kind against Bangladesh in November 2019. Incidentally, Kohli’s last Test ton came in that match.
Also Read: ‘Consistency Is The Key’, Virat Kohli Prepares Himself By Sweating It Out Ahead Of The 3rd Test
