3,596 runs, 14 tons and average of 66: When Virat Kohli ruled Test cricket from 2016 to 2018
Between 2016 and 2018, Virat Kohli scored 3596 runs in 35 Test matches. He averaged 66.59 during this period, with 14 centuries and 8 half-centuries in just 58 innings. Sports Cricket
As Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket, the entire cricketing fraternity paused and looked back at the incredible journey of one of India’s greatest batters. While his entire Test career is nothing short of inspirational, the years 2016 to 2018 truly stand out as the peak of King Kohli in Test cricket.
Kohli made his Test debut in 2011 against the West Indies at Kingston Oval. His start was not great, scoring a mere 4 runs in the first innings, and he had to wait until 2012 to score his first century in whites, which came at the Adelaide Oval in Australia. Then, between 2012 and 2015, he was consistent and steady enough, but didn’t manage to score 1000 Test runs in a calendar year.
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That scenario changed in 2016. From that year onwards, Kohli reached the peak level.
The peak of Virat Kohli in Tests
Between 2016 and 2018, he scored 3,596 runs in 35 Test matches. He averaged 66.59 during this period, with 14 centuries and 8 half-centuries in just 58 innings. One of the biggest highlights came during the 2018 tour of England, where he scored 593 runs in five Tests, a massive improvement from his 2014 performance in the same country, where he managed 153 runs in five games.
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From a setback in 2014 to a comeback in 2018, Kohli conquered the England fortress. Interestingly, in the same year, India, under the captaincy of Virat Kohli, won the first-ever Test series against Australia, defeating the Kangaroos by 2-1 in Australia.
In 2019, his form started to dip, although he scored his highest-ever Test score of 254 in Pune against the Proteas that year.
Kohli finished his Test career with 9,230 runs in 210 innings at an average of 46.85. He is fourth on the list of all-time highest run-scorers for India in Tests, behind Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sunil Gavaskar.
Even though he has retired from the format, Kohli’s passion, discipline, and hunger for runs will be remembered forever. His performances, especially from 2016 to 2018, will always be seen as the golden period of his Test career.
Even though Virat Kohli has retired, he will be remembered forever for his love towards Test cricket.
