Kohli hits a 100 in his 500th match: How did other players do in theirs?

Virat Kohli created history by becoming the first Indian to hit a century in his 500th appearance in an international match. Apart from him Dravid, Sachin and Dhoni played 500 matches for India

By hitting the ball past the cover-point for a four, Virat Kohli reached his 29th Test century. Along with its various uniqueness, this has also made the former captain the only Indian to achieve the feat of hitting a century in the 500th international match. 

Apart from him, legends of the game like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni played more than 500 international matches for the country. But none made it as special as Kohli has done. Kohli is also the only Indian to play his 500th game as a Test match. 

 

Sachin Tendulkar in his 500th match

 

Sachin scored 35 runs in his 500th international match, which was in the ICC Champions Trophy of 2006. The game against England turned out to be a low-scoring affair in which the master-blaster top-scored for the men in blue as they chased down 126 with six wickets down at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. This was also the opening game of the tournament for the hosts. 

 

Before reaching his 500th game, the God of cricket had amassed 24839 runs and hit 75 centuries and 114 fifties. He went on to score 100 centuries, a total of 34357 runs, 100 centuries and 164 fifties in total. Sachin has to his name the record for playing the highest number of international matches in world cricket. He played 664 of them for India. 

 

MS Dhoni in his 500th match

 

MS Dhoni, the super skipper of the Indian team who won all the trophies there were to be won in the world till the time he was an all-format player, scored 32 not out in his 500th game. The match was the second T20I of a three-match series against England in Cardiff. 

 

India lost that match by five wickets as the hosts chased down 149 with five wickets in hand and two balls to spare. Till that match, the Indian great had managed to score 16338 runs with 16 centuries and 102 fifties to his name. The Ranchi-born went on to score 17266 runs and six more fifties before calling it quits in international cricket. Dhoni played a total of 538 games for India. 

 

Rahul Dravid in his 500th match

 

Rahul Dravid, the current head coach of the Indian national team, is the third Indian to have played 500 international matches before Kohli. The Wall scored only two runs in his 500th match, which was an ODI against England in September 2011 at Bristol. It is only co-incidental that all three players prior to Kohli played their 500th match against England. 

 

India lost that match by three wickets. Dravid was run out by Anderson. Before reaching his 500th match, the Bengaluru-born had scored 23635 runs with 142 fifties and 47 centuries to his name. In his next nine matches, Dravid added another century and four more fifties to his tally to take it to 24208 runs, 48 centuries and 146 fifties before he finally hung his boots in international cricket.