India are all set for the third and final Test of the ongoing series against New Zealand at home. However, they have already lost the series – which is the first time they have suffered such a loss at home since 2012. For the vice-captain Rohit Sharma’s side, it will be to ensure a clean shirt and to retain the chances of advancing to the final of the ICC World Test Championship within their grasp.
The Test will also be of great importance to Virat Kohli who himself is struggling with a loss of form. After scoring a fifty in the first match of the series, Kohli managed to get only 1 and 17 in the two innings of the Test match played in Pune as India lost again, this time badly.
Keep in mind that the third Test match which is to take place in Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, is the last opportunity for Kohli to boost his morale before the team gets ready to fly to Australia for the series which comprises of five Tests.
And the 35-year-old will be all smiles considering that he has a very good record at the stadium. The ex-captain has featured in five Tests at the Wankhede Stadium and has made 469 runs averaging 58.62 inclusive of a score in excess of two hundred.
Kohli is also inching closer to be the third Indian cricketer ever to play 600 innings across all formats after Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. Till now, starting from 2008 when he made his international debut, Kohli has participated in 599 innings (199 Tests, 283 ODIs and 117 T20s).
Legendary Tendulkar with 782 innings is at the top of the chart for the most number of innings played in an international career within the span of which Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene (725) and Australian Ricky Ponting (668) are the other two in the top three.
Coincidentally, this match will also mark the 200th innings of Kohli in his Test career. A name regarded as one of the greatest in the game, he has now played 199 innings and scored 9035 runs at an average of 48.31 having hit 29 tons and 31 fifties.
However, 2024 has not been kind on Kohli’s form. Following the South Africa tour, and after having rested through the home series, which was a five-match Test series against England, he returned to the competition in September when India played Bangladesh in two Tests. So far in five Tests, he has scored 245 runs at an average of 27.22 with a highest score of 70.
