Virat Kohli smashes his 29th Test ton, at Queen's Park Oval

Indian cricketer Virat Kohli displayed a remarkable performance on Day 2 of the second Test against the West Indies at the Queen's Park Oval. On Day 1, Kohli came to the crease when India was at 130/2. Although he had a slow start, he eventually found his rhythm.

Kohli partnered with Ravindra Jadeja, and together, they forged a century-plus stand, helping India recover after a challenging period at 182/4. Kohli's innings was solid and impressive.

The Indian batsman missed a century in the first match but made up for it in this game with an excellent cover drive to open his scoring. As his innings progressed, he picked up the pace and reached his half-century with a boundary. Kohli's scoring rate put pressure on the West Indies team.

With a brilliant square drive for a four, Kohli reached his 29th Test century, amassing over 8,650 runs at an average of over 49. In the process, he surpassed the runs scored by former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden (8,625) and also went past Virender Sehwag's overall runs (8,586) for India and ICC. He also surpassed Michael Clarke's record (8,643) during this innings.

This century marked Kohli's second Test century since November 2019. In his last 46 Test innings, he had been without a century for 41 innings until he scored 186 against Australia in Ahmedabad in March 2023. During these 46 innings, he managed to score seven half-centuries.

This was Kohli's 15th century in away matches (opposition's home ground), and he now has over 1,000 runs against the West Indies. His away record includes more than 4,380 runs at an average close to 43, accompanied by 500-plus fours.

Notably, this century was Kohli's 76th international century across all formats, coinciding with his 500th international appearance. Alongside his 29 Test centuries, he has also registered 46 centuries in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and one in Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is).

Overall, Kohli's exceptional performance led India to a strong position in the Test match against the West Indies at the Queen's Park Oval.