Less than 24 hours remain for the start of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Nagpur as both India and Australia gear up for the frantic contest. Big names like Steve Smith and Virat Kohli would be ready to stamp their authority on the series as they look to make an early impression in the series. Both Virat and Smith will have a major record in their sight as they get ready for the big one.
Sachin’s record in sight
As things stand, both Virat and Smith will look to surpass Sachin Tendulkar for most hundreds in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Currently, the legendary Tendulkar has nine hundreds in the coveted series, most by any player. Tendulkar also holds the record for most runs in the series with 3262 runs in 34 matches.
Smith is the nearest to the record as an active player, having scored eight hundreds in 14 matches (28 innings) in the tournament. The former Aussie skipper needs one more hundred to equal Tendulkar's record and has 1742 runs in the big series. He is also the fourth highest scoring Australian in the Border-Gavaskar series and will have the opportunity to surpass both Matthew Hayden and Michael Clarke on the tally.
If Smith does score a hundred in the series, he will also surpass Ricky Ponting for most hundreds by an Australian in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Most Hundreds in Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Sachin Tendulkar – 9
Steve Smith – 8
Ricky Ponting – 8
Virat Kohli – 7
Michael Clarke - 7
ALSO READ | IND vs AUS 1st Test: Rahul Dravid's 'Gurumantra' for Shubman Gill on how to tackle spinners
Virat also on brink of record
Virat on the horizon has scored seven hundreds in the series and needs two more hundreds to go level with Tendulkar. The 34-year-old has 74 international hundreds and will also look to get closer to the 100 hundreds of Tendulkar. He most recently scored his 46th ODI hundred and is three short of the great Indian former player’s 49 hundreds tally. Virat also has 1682 runs in 20 matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The first Test match between India and Australia will start at 9:30 AM on Thursday (February 9) with the toss taking place at 9:00 AM.
