The Indian Test skipper, Virat Kohli, and wicket-keeper batter, Rishabh Pant are on the verge of surpassing huge milestones in Test cricket. Ahed of the upcoming ahead of their three-match series against South Africa scheduled to be commencing on December 26 in Centurion Kohli needs 199 more runs to reach the 8000-run mark in Test cricket. He will become the 6th Indian batter to do so if he gets to the landmark during the three Tests against the Proteas.

Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar, VVS Laxman, and Virender Sehwag are the first five Indians to reach 8000 Test runs. Kohli, who hasn’t scored an international hundred for more than 2 years now, has the chance of becoming the third-fastest Indian to get there after Tendulkar (154 innings), Dravid (158 innings) and Sehwag (160 innings) if he somehow manages to score 199 in the first innings of the Boxing Day Test at the SuperSport Park.

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Overall, Virat Kohli will be the 33rd batter to surpass the tally of 8000 runs in Test cricket. Kohli has so far played 97 Tests and he has amassed 7801 runs at an average of 50.65. He is tied in 17th position on the list of most centuries (27) in the format along with Steve Smith, Allan Border and Graeme Smith.

Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant is nearing 100 dismissals in Test cricket. Pant, in fact, could break former captain MS Dhoni’s record for the fastest Indian wicketkeeper to 100 Test dismissals. Dhoni had surpassed the tally in 36 Tests and Pant needs 3 more dismissals to shatter his mentor’s record.

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Dhoni leads the Indian tally with 294 dismissals ahead of Syed Kirmani (198), Kiran More (130), Nayan Mongia (107) and Wriddhiman Saha (104). Pant currently has 97 dismissals from 25 Tests and will become the sixth Indian gloveman to get to the landmark and will be joint-fifth fastest overall, if he achieves the feat in the series-opener in South Africa.