Kane Williamson finally beats Virat Kohli in Test runs record after 6 years of battle

Kane Williamson was dismissed twice in a day during the second Test match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Galle on Saturday. But the star Kiwi batter made the headlines during his second innings knock of 46 runs as he surpassed the Indian stalwart Virat Kohli in the Test runs tally.

Williamson needed only 36 runs in his second innings to go past Virat Kohli's 8871 runs tally in Test cricket. Notably, Williamson took six years to beat his friendly rival in the race for the Test runs record and now is only behind Joe Root and Steve Smith among active cricketers. 

Most Test runs among active players

1. Joe Root (England) - 12402 runs in 267 innings
2. Steve Smith (Australia) - 9685 runs in 195 innings
3. Kane Williamson (New Zealand) - 8881 runs in 180 innings
4. Virat Kohli (India) - 8871 runs in 193 innings
5. Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka) - 7940 runs in 202 innings

Virat Kohli vs Kane Williamson Test battle

Williamson made his Test debut in 2010 and the Indian star entered the red-ball cricket action seven months later. Both Kohli and Williamson dominated Test cricket with incredible consistency and now are closing in on 9000 runs in the longest form of cricket.

Kohli was leading the Test runs battle with Williamson for the last six years but his recent dip in form helped the Kiwi veteran close the gap and finally surpass in the race. Williamson has been in sensational form in red-ball cricket in 2024 with 618 runs in just 6 Test matches while Kohli has scored just 81 runs in 3 games.