NEW DELHI: Former India captain Virat Kohli hit his much-awaited first hundred of the year across formats on Day 3 of the first Test against Australia in Perth on Sunday.
By scoring his 30th hundred in Test cricket, Virat not only roared back to form but also broke a string of records and most importantly, broke the record of his idol Sachin Tendulkar.
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Former batting great Tendulkar had scored six Test hundreds over the years in Australia and Kohli hit his seventh Test century in Australia as India declared their second innings at 487/6 to set Australia a 534-run target.
This is also Kohli’s 10th hundred across formats in Australia, the most by a visiting batter.
Virat equaled another record of Tendulkar for hitting most Test hundreds against an opponent for India.
After only managing two Test tons in the previous five years, the 36-year-old star Kohli entered the series under growing scrutiny.
In their most recent humiliating 0-3 home series loss to New Zealand, he averaged barely 15, raising concerns over whether he should still be selected automatically.
While his fall for five in the first innings at Perth Stadium did not assist his cause, Kohli’s gutsy response on Sunday left Australia with a mountain to climb.
He played himself in and rode his luck to reach a half-century before exploding with a barrage of boundaries after Devdutt Padikkal was out for 25.

With eight fours and two sixes, Kohli reached his 30th Test century off 143 balls.
It was his first ton since he accomplished the feat against the West Indies in Port of Spain in July last year.
Overall, this is Kohli’s 81st international hundred.