Border-Gavaskar Trophy, 3rd Test: Virat Kohli Set To Play 200th International Match On Home Soil

When India takes to the field against Australia during the third Test at Indore, it will be a special occasion for hosts' star batter Virat Kohli, who will be playing his 200th international match at home. India will square off against Australia at Indore from Wednesday onwards. India is 2-0 up in the four-match series which has seen the Indian spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel being the brightest stars for the hosts. Virat has been a pillar of India's home domination ever since he hit the international cricket scene in 2008.

In 199 matches at home so far, he has scored 10,829 runs in 221 innings at an average of 58.22. He has scored 34 centuries and 51 half-centuries at home, with the best score of 254*.

However this time around, the pressure will be on Virat, who has been searching for big runs in the longer format since 2020. His numbers for 2020 (116 runs in three matches at an average of 19.33 with one fifty in six innings), 2021 (536 runs in 11 matches at an average of 28.21 with four fifties in 19 innings) and 2022 (265 in six matches at an average of 26.50 with one fifty in 11 innings) are too underwhelming for someone of his stature.

However, Virat looked in complete control during his short innings of 44 and 20 runs in both innings of the second Test in Delhi and Team India would hope that their biggest batting star will end his three-year-long drought of big runs, which will also boost India's chances to qualify for ICC World Test Championship finals, to be played in London from June 7 onwards.

Virat has managed 76 runs in three innings in this series at an average of 25.33.

India will also aim to overcome the Australian challenge at Indore to make it 3-0 and secure qualification