Finally, a Test century

Virat Kohli marked the occasion of his maiden Test century - against Australia in Adelaide - with a leap, a roar and a swear. He had celebrated hundreds in that fashion quite often in one-day internationals, though. Before that 116, Kohli had been struggling to prove himself in India's Test middle order, but he had already fought and won that battle in ODIs. Kohli had eight one-day hundreds before a Test century. Prashant Kislaya asked us if anyone had scored more ODI centuries before their first in Tests, and vice versa.

Well, no. No one had more one-day hundreds than Kohli before a first Test century. Saeed Anwar, the former Pakistan opener, had six. Anwar had played 25 ODIs and made two hundreds before he was given a Test debut against West Indies in Faisalabad in 1990. He made a pair, and did not play another Test for more than three years. During that time he played 20 ODIs and scored four more centuries - three in a row in Sharjah - and won a berth on the Test tour of New Zealand in February 1994. Anwar failed in the first Test but made 169 and 69 in his next two innings, sealing his place at the top of the order.

Suresh Raina played 98 one-day internationals, scoring 2379 runs with three centuries and an average of 37 before he was given a Test debut. He beat Andrew Symonds' record (94) for the most ODIs before a first Test. On Test debut at the SSC in 2010, Raina steered India out of a tricky situation with an innings of 120. He has played 14 more Tests but that hundred has been his only Test hundred.

Ajay Jadeja, a former India batsman, and Australia's Michael Bevan have made the most ODI hundreds - six - without scoring a Test century. Bevan played 232 ODIs but only 18 Tests, while Jadeja played 192 ODIs and 15 Tests. Raina has played only 15 Tests and is out of the Indian side at present; he could be India's 21st century Jadeja if he doesn't turnaround his Test form.

Sunil Gavaskar had scored all his Test centuries before he made a one-day hundred. All 34 of them. He scored his first one-day hundred only in his 107th and penultimate match - 103 not out against New Zealand in the 1987 World Cup. The semi-final defeat to England was his last international game.

Former England captain Nasser Hussain made his ODI debut in October 1989, four months before his Test debut, but did not score a one-day century until 2002. During that time Hussain scored ten Test centuries in 72 matches. The 115 in the NatWest Trophy final at Lord's against India remained his only ODI century and Hussain celebrated it with aggressive gestures at his critics in the press box, who had questioned his ability to bat at No. 3.

Most Test tons before first ODI ton

Player		Tests	Mat	Inns	Runs	HS	Ave	100		ODI	Opp	Start Date	Scorecard
SM Gavaskar (India)		1971-1987	125	214	10122	236*	51.12	34		103*	v NZ	Oct 31, 1987	ODI 474
G Boycott (Eng)		1964-1979	84	145	6316	246*	49.34	18		105	v Aus	Dec 11, 1979	ODI 79
MA Taylor (Aus)		1989-1996	73	131	5566	219	45.62	14		105	v India	Oct 21, 1996	ODI 1129
GS Chappell (Aus)		1970-1977	46	81	3726	247*	54.79	13		125*	v Eng	Jun 6, 1977	ODI 44
M Amarnath (India)		1969-1988	69	113	4378	138	42.50	11		100*	v WI	Jan 19, 1988	ODI 497
TT Samaraweera (SL)		2001-2009	54	85	3787	231	51.87	11		104	v NZ	Sep 8, 2009	ODI 2884
SR Waugh (Aus)		1985-1995	80	123	4771	200	48.68	10		102*	v SL	Jan 16, 1996	ODI 1039
N Hussain (Eng)		1990-2002	72	128	4169	207	36.25	10		115	v India	Jul 13, 2002	ODI 1856
HA Gomes (WI)		1976-1985	45	69	2683	143	45.47	9		101	v SL	Feb 2, 1985	ODI 300
IVA Richards (WI)		1974-1976	21	36	2181	291	64.14	8		119*	v Eng	Aug 26, 1976	ODI 37
Javed Miandad (Pak)		1976-1982	46	77	3398	206	53.09	8		106*	v India	Dec 3, 1982	ODI 162
DB Vengsarkar (India)		1976-1984	72	118	4099	159	38.30	8		105	v Eng	Dec 5, 1984	ODI 279
KWR Fletcher (Eng)		1968-1975	46	74	2800	216	43.75	7		131	v NZ	Jun 11, 1975	ODI 23
CH Lloyd (WI)		1966-1975	43	76	3082	242*	44.02	7		102	v Aus	Jun 21, 1975	ODI 33
JG Wright (NZ)		1978-1988	58	103	3343	141	33.76	7		101	v Eng	Mar 16, 1988	ODI 508
SR Tendulkar (India)		1989-1994	32	45	2023	165	50.57	7		110	v Aus	Sep 9, 1994	ODI 924
MA Atherton (Eng)		1989-1995	45	84	3324	151	40.04	7		127	v WI	May 28, 1995	ODI 1002
GC Smith (SA)		2002-2005	33	58	2774	277	51.37	7		105	v Eng	Feb 4, 2005	ODI 2221

Garry Sobers and Colin Cowdrey are among the top three batsmen with the most Test centuries and no ODI hundreds. Sobers has 26 Test tons and Cowdrey 22. Both played only one ODI each: Sobers made 0, Cowdrey made 1. Australia's Justin Langer, who scored 23 Test hundreds, also never made an ODI century. He played only eight one-dayers.

Among bowlers, former West Indian spinner Lance Gibbs never took a four-for in an ODI; he had 18 five-fors in Tests. Gibbs played only three one-dayers, though. The surprise is Mohammad Asif, the Pakistan fast bowler presently serving a jail term for spot-fixing. Asif has seven five-fors in only 23 Tests, but the best he has managed in 38 ODIs is 3 for 28.

Ian Botham had the most five-wicket hauls in Tests - 18 - before a four-wicket haul in an ODI. In his first 41 one-dayers, Botham took more than two wickets only three times and his best was 3 for 16, against Australia in Melbourne in January 1979. His first four-for was at Headlingley in 1982, against India. Botham went on to take only two more four-wicket hauls and only one five-for in 102 ODIs.

Most Test five-wicket hauls before first ODI four-wicket-haul

Player		Tests	Mat	Runs	Wkts	BBI	Ave	5		ODI	Opp	Start Date	Scorecard
IT Botham (Eng)		1977-1982	48	5009	222	149*	22.87	18		4/56	v India	Jun 2, 1982	ODI 152
DL Underwood (Eng)		1966-1977	74	6600	265	45*	28.20	16		4/44	v WI	Nov 28, 1979	ODI 76
Imran Khan (Pak)		1971-1984	51	5316	232	123	24.16	16		6/14	v India	Mar 22, 1985	ODI 321
N Kapil Dev (India)		1978-1983	53	6082	206	126*	30.71	15		5/43	v Aus	Jun 13, 1983	ODI 207
GF Lawson (Aus)		1980-1985	28	3210	118	57*	29.44	9		4/26	v Eng	May 30, 1985	ODI 329
JA Snow (Eng)		1965-1973	41	4476	173	73	27.80	8		4/32	v NZ	Jul 18, 1973	ODI 6
AME Roberts (WI)		1974-1976	20	2324	103	19	23.24	8		4/32	v Eng	Aug 26, 1976	ODI 37
RGD Willis (Eng)		1971-1978	35	3191	126	24*	32.56	8		4/15	v Pak	May 24, 1978	ODI 50
RJ Hadlee (NZ)		1973-1980	30	3697	129	103	30.05	8		5/32	v India	Dec 9, 1980	ODI 99
DW Steyn (SA)		2004-2008	25	2882	128	33*	24.01	8		4/16	v Ban	Nov 7, 2008	ODI 2771
ARC Fraser (Eng)		1989-1995	22	2469	92	29	28.05	7		4/22	v Aus	Jan 10, 1995	ODI 969
AR Caddick (Eng)		1993-2000	30	3274	110	48	31.18	7		4/19	v SA	Feb 13, 2000	ODI 1560
AW Greig (Eng)		1972-1975	38	3285	109	148	30.99	6		4/45	v NZ	Jun 11, 1975	ODI 23
MHN Walker (Aus)		1972-1975	22	2377	93	41*	27.96	6		4/19	v WI	Dec 20, 1975	ODI 34
JE Emburey (Eng)		1978-1987	42	3633	115	75	35.97	6		4/37	v WI	Jan 24, 1987	ODI 423
Harbhajan Singh (India)		1998-2001	20	2367	81	66	32.87	6		5/43	v Eng	Feb 3, 2002	ODI 1803
Shakib Al Hasan (Ban)		2007-2010	16	1649	57	96*	29.98	6		4/33	v NZ	Feb 11, 2010	ODI 2953
JR Thomson (Aus)		1972-1978	27	3123	125	49	26.46	5		4/67	v WI	Feb 22, 1978	ODI 48
RM Hogg (Aus)		1978-1979	15	1441	64	36	23.24	5		4/46	v Eng	Dec 26, 1979	ODI 82
SB Doull (NZ)		1992-1997	21	2047	72	31*	31.49	5		4/25	v Aus	Feb 14, 1998	ODI 1293
RW Price (Zim)		1999-2004	18	2475	69	36	39.91	5		4/22	v Ban	Jan 19, 2009	ODI 2797

Former India fast bowler Ajit Agarkar took eight hauls of four wickets or more in ODIs before taking a five-for in a Test. Agarkar's maiden five-wicket haul came where Kohli scored his maiden Test century, Adelaide Oval. He was playing his 18th Test and India completed a famous victory to go up 1-0 on their tour of Australia in 2003-04. Agarkar played only eight more Tests, though, and did not take another five-for. It is likely that Kohli's career will be much longer.

Most ODI four-wicket hauls before first Test five-wicket-haul

Player		ODIs	Mat	Runs	Wkts	BBI	Ave	4+		Test	Opp	Start Date	Scorecard
ST Jayasuriya (SL)		1989-2001	252	7482	214	6/29	34.96	8		5/43	v Zim	Jan 12, 2002	Test 1585
AB Agarkar (India)		1998-2003	121	5083	182	4/25	27.92	8		6/41	v Aus	Dec 12, 2003	Test 1673
Abdul Razzaq (Pak)		1996-2004	174	5645	194	6/35	29.09	7		5/35	v SL	Oct 28, 2004	Test 1719
Saqlain Mushtaq (Pak)		1995-1997	51	1863	95	5/29	19.61	6		5/89	v SL	Apr 19, 1997	Test 1366
VC Drakes (WI)		1995-2003	23	875	42	5/33	20.83	5		5/93	v Aus	Apr 10, 2003	Test 1638
IR Bishop (WI)		1988-1989	17	592	33	5/27	17.93	4		6/87	v India	Apr 7, 1989	Test 1118
Waqar Younis (Pak)		1989-1990	23	688	37	6/26	18.59	4		7/86	v NZ	Oct 18, 1990	Test 1152
GD McGrath (Aus)		1993-1995	36	1221	49	5/52	24.91	4		5/68	v WI	Mar 31, 1995	Test 1294
J Srinath (India)		1991-1996	114	4250	149	5/24	28.52	4		6/21	v SA	Nov 20, 1996	Test 1338
DW Fleming (Aus)		1994-1998	40	1532	63	5/36	24.31	4		5/46	v Eng	Nov 28, 1998	Test 1431
Z Khan (India)		2000-2002	49	2022	76	4/42	26.60	4		5/53	v NZ	Dec 12, 2002	Test 1631
CH Gayle (WI)		1999-2004	102	2604	88	5/46	29.59	4		5/34	v Eng	Jul 29, 2004	Test 1708
MG Johnson (Aus)		2005-2008	42	1525	65	5/26	23.46	4		5/39	v NZ	Nov 20, 2008	Test 1894
RMH Binny (India)		1980-1986	63	1910	70	4/29	27.28	3		5/40	v Eng	Jun 19, 1986	Test 1047
CEL Ambrose (WI)		1988-1988	9	300	20	4/29	15.00	3		5/72	v Aus	Dec 2, 1988	Test 1110
Aaqib Javed (Pak)		1988-1995	110	3760	123	7/37	30.56	3		5/84	v SL	Sep 15, 1995	Test 1305
SE Bond (NZ)		2002-2002	13	487	23	5/25	21.17	3		5/78	v WI	Jun 21, 2002	Test 1607
A Flintoff (Eng)		1999-2003	66	1625	66	4/14	24.62	3		5/58	v WI	Apr 1, 2004	Test 1694
DT Hondo (Zim)		2001-2004	52	2021	55	4/37	36.74	3		6/59	v Ban	Jan 14, 2005	Test 1735
BAW Mendis (SL)		2008-2008	8	205	20	6/13	10.25	3		/117	v India	Jul 31, 2008	Test 1884
SCJ Broad (Eng)		2006-2008	42	1710	62	5/23	27.58	3		5/85	v WI	Feb 4, 2009	Test 1906
SR Watson (Aus)		2002-2010	114	3296	118	4/36	27.93	3		5/40	v Pak	Jul 13, 2010	Test 1963
RJ Harris (Aus)		2009-2010	17	661	41	5/19	16.12	3		6/47	v Eng	Dec 16, 2010	Test 1984
P Kumar (India)		2007-2011	52	2088	62	4/31	33.67	3		/106	v Eng	Jul 21, 2011	Test 2000