Stats: Top 5 batsmen fastest to 22 Test centuries

Escalating his standards to unattainable levels, Indian skipper Virat Kohli pretty much put a full stop on the “best in the world” debate on Day 2 of the 1st Test against England at Edgbaston. He registered an outstanding century against the run of play, helping India achieve a total they wouldn’t have dreamt off at the lunch break.

Wickets kept tumbling at one end when Ben Stokes started breathing fire. The English all-rounder was at his very best and was running riot. He instilled that confidence in the other bowlers as well, which meant bad news for the visitors. But Hardik Pandya and Kohli stitched a pivotal partnership to ease the nerves, post which a certain Kohli show demoralized the hosts.

He added a couple of priceless partnerships with Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav, before being dismissed on 149 off 225 balls. This was Kohli’s first Test hundred in England, which should do his confidence a world of good. The second day ended on a breathtaking note after Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed Alastair Cook in a replay of the first innings. The Test is wide open for a result with time no longer a problem in consideration.

4th fastest to 22 Test tons

This was Kohli’s 15th century in Tests as a captain and also his 22nd overall. Dawid Malan dropped him very early in the innings on 21 and then on 51 which really changed the momentum of the game. In the process of annihilating the morale of the English side, the Indian skipper went on to join a very elite list which includes some of the greats of the game.

He became the 4th fastest batsman to register 22 tons in Test cricket in terms of innings played. The legendary Sir Donald Bradman unsurprisingly is at the top, who took just 58 innings to touch that mark. The Little Master Sunil Gavaskar stands second in the list (101 innings) whilst Aussie stalwart Steve Smith is third (108 innings).

Incidentally, Kohli overtook his idol Sachin Tendulkar by a whisker. Tendulkar took 114 innings to get as many tons in Test cricket whilst he is here in 113 innings. Without a shadow of a doubt, the 29-year-old will rate this knock as one of the best he’s ever played in the longest format of the game.

Here are top 5 batsmen fastest to 22 Test centuries

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