Virat Kohli and Alastair Cook eye milestones in Oval Test

The series might have been lost, but India skipper Virat Kohli will have another milestone in mind when he takes the field against England at the Oval Cricket Ground on Friday. With 23 Test centuries already to his name, Kohli needs one more to equal the legendary Vivian Richards on the list of most Test centuries. While Kohli has played 70 Test matches and scored 6098 runs with 23 centuries and 19 fifties, Richards scored 8540 runs in 121 Tests with 24 centuries and 45 fifties.

Another man who will be eyeing a record at the Oval during the fourth Test is none other than former England skipper Alastair Cook. Playing the last Test of his international career — 161st — Cook needs just one run to complete 1000 runs at the venue. At present, Cook has 999 runs in 12 games with two centuries. His best record is at the Lord’s where he scored 1937 runs in 26 games with 4 hundreds.

Cook announced his retirement on Monday and said that the last Test of the ongoing five-match series will also be his last international game and he will be retiring post that. Cook though has signed a new three-year contract with Essex after announcing his retirement from international cricket. The former England captain will continue to play domestically with the county where he came through the academy system.

“It’s great news that Cooky has committed his future to the club,” said Essex head coach Anthony McGrath. “He’s one of the best batsmen in the world and he’s so important for us both on and off the pitch. He’s a great person to have around the club and is a great role model for the young players coming through. He also has the ability to change a game with his batting and that’s something everyone wants in their team.”

First Published: Sep 06, 2018 16:45 IST