Virat Kohli’s run-making in limited-overs cricket is second to none. And his exploits in Test cricket are no less either.
For more than a decade since his debut, Kohli has been the lynchpin of India’s batting lineup in red-ball cricket. He started as a No. 5 batter and even batted at No. 6 and 7, but he was quick enough to cement a permanent slot at No. 4 left by Sachin Tendulkar.
With over 7000-plus runs coming at No. 4, Kohli has established himself as one of the best top-order batters in current times.
On that note, let’s glance at Virat Kohli’s Test stats by batting position.
Virat Kohli Test Batting Stats by Position
| Batting Position | Inns | Runs | Avg | HS | 100s/50s | Not Outs | Ducks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 3 | 8 | 167 | 23.85 | 70 | 0/1 | 1 | 1 |
| No. 4 | 151 | 7374 | 51.56 | 254* | 25/21 | 8 | 12 |
| No. 5 | 32 | 1084 | 37.37 | 107 | 3/6 | 3 | 1 |
| No. 6 | 9 | 404 | 44.88 | 116 | 1/3 | 0 | 1 |
| No. 7 | 1 | 11 | 11.00 | 11 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 |
| Overall | 201 | 9040 | 47.83 | 254* | 29/31 | 12 | 15 |
Key Insights
As you can see, Kohli has batted the most as a No. 4 batter, just like his idol Sachin Tendulkar. The Delhi batter has filled the void left by Tendulkar pretty well.
Kohli is among the seven batters who have scored 7,000-plus Test runs while batting at No. 4. Tendulkar (13,492), Mahela Jayawardene (9,509), Jacques Kallis (9,033), Brian Lara (7,535), Joe Root (7,500+), and Ross Taylor (7,087) are the other six batters.
He is also one of the six batters with 20 or more Test centuries at No. 4. Except for Ross Taylor, all the above batters have 20-plus hundreds.
Kohli’s seven double centuries are the most by a No. 4 batter in Test cricket. Interestingly, all of them came while he was India’s captain, which is another record.
Kohli has bagged 12 ducks batting at No. 4, which is the second-most for a batter in that position. Find out which opener in Test cricket has bagged most ducks here.
The right-hand batter started his Test career batting at No. 5. He batted in this position for almost two years before moving one position up after Tendulkar’s retirement. Thus far, Kohli has scored 1,000 runs, which places him among the ten Indian batters with 1,000-plus runs at No. 5.
During the 2024 Bengaluru Test against New Zealand, Kohli became the 18th batter to score 9,000 runs in the format.
