Virat Kohli’s start to the three-match series against New Zealand did not go as planned, as he was dismissed for a duck in the first innings of the first Test in Bengaluru on Thursday, October 17. Despite this disappointment, Kohli achieved a significant milestone by becoming the second most-capped player for India in international cricket, surpassing MS Dhoni. Kohli has now played 536 matches for India across formats, placing him behind only Sachin Tendulkar on the all-time list.
While Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for the most appearances by an Indian player in international cricket with 664 matches, Virat Kohli’s continuing presence in the Indian team shows his commitment and passion for the game. However, it seems unlikely that Kohli will surpass Tendulkar’s record.
The list of the most-capped players for India in international cricket includes other notable names such as MS Dhoni, Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma, and more. Among the current active players, Rohit Sharma is the only other player besides Kohli to feature in the top ten list, with 486 matches across all formats.
In the first innings in Bengaluru, both Kohli and Rohit Sharma had a forgettable outing, with Kohli managing just two runs before being dismissed by Tim Southee. The match featured the following playing XIs for both teams:
New Zealand Playing XI: Tom Latham (c), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wk), Glenn Phillips, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, William ORourke
India Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
It will be interesting to see how Kohli performs in the upcoming matches and if he can continue to add more milestones to his already impressive career.
