Virat Kohli could break THIS major record of Australia legend Ricky Ponting in WTC final

Indian skipper Virat Kohli hasn't scored a century in more than 500 days, which is the longest gap for the Delhi batsman ever since he has started playing international cricket. However, if Kohli hits a ton in the one-off Test against New Zealand, starting June 18, he would go past former Australian legend Ricky Ponting in terms of most centuries scored as captain. The 2011 World Cup-winning player currently has 41 international centuries as captain and is tied with Ponting since his last ton against Bangladesh in 2019. 

Kohli needs one more century to overtake Ponting in the list of most centuries as captain of the side. If Kohli scores a ton against New Zealand in the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship (WTC) final, it would be his 42nd international century as captain, most for any skipper in the history of the game. Kohli's impressive consistency in terms of scoring centuries came to a halt last year after several sporting activities had to be suspended in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Just like other teams around the world, the Indians did not play much cricket in 2020 and hence fewer opportunities were created for Kohli to score a ton. 

WTC final

Kohli would be raring to score big in the upcoming Test match against the Kiwis, which is scheduled to be played in Southampton's Ageas Bowl Stadium. Team India is already in Southampton, where the Kiwis arrived on Monday after the completion of their Test series against England. The Kiwis have entered the WTC final bio-secure bubble, which will remain active until at least June 22, assuming the match to last for five days with an extra day of play. 

The ICC has already announced that if the match ends in a draw both teams will be declared joint winners of the first-ever WTC final. A reserve day has been kept as a precautionary measure against rain in case a day of play is lost. The ICC on Monday said the winning team of the WTC final will receive prize money of $1.6 million, while the runners-up will get $8,00,000. Teams finishing third, fourth and fifth will be awarded $4,50,000, $3,50,000, and $2,00,000 respectively, while remaining sides will be given $1,00,000 each. 

(Image Credit: AP/PTI)