KL Rahul chases rare hat-trick in IND vs AUS Boxing Day Test in Melbourne which Virat Kohli unlikely to match

No other Indian batter in the current batch possess as much record as Virat Kohli on Australian soil. With 1478 runs in 16 matches, including seven hundreds to his name, the former India captain has proved to be a run-machine against some of the mighty Australian attacks over the last decade. However, there is one record that Kohli is unlikely to claim or match which fellow teammate KL Rahul possess, especially if Boxing Day Tests are to be considered. 

Kohli has played six Boxing Day Tests, scoring 540 runs, including one hundred. Rahul, on the other hand, has played three Boxing Tests, including two hundreds. With 235 runs in three Tests, Rahul is so far the best Indian batter in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT). Provided he manages his second Test ton on Australian soil in the fourth game of the series, the right-hander will become the first Indian batter to score three Boxing Day Test hundreds.   

Rahul made his India debut in Australia on a Boxing day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), scoring three and one across innings. However, he made a roaring comeback in the following Test in Sydney with his maiden international ton. 

Since then, Rahul played two other Boxing Days Tests, both against South Africa. He scored 123 in Centurion in 2021 before amassing 101 at the same venue two years later. With India going to play the fourth Test in Melbourne from December 26, the stylish India opener will be eager to make his second Test at the MCG count and help India.