Virat Kohli runs in Test cricket: Where does the Indian batter rank compare to other legends?

9,230 runs, 30 centuries, and 31 half-centuries later, Virat Kohli on Sunday announced his retirement from Test cricket. The 36-year-old represented India in the whites 123 times and leaves behind a legacy that transcends mere numbers.However, the fact that Kohli’s world-beating spell from 2014 to 2019 ignited hopes of the icon breaching the 10,000-run mark still remains an unfulfilled dream for many.Consequently, not breaching the five-digit score by 770 runs places him fourth in terms of all-time highest runs scored by his fellow countrymen.Who's that IPL player?Only Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sunil Gavaskar have scored more runs than Kohli in the format. Sachin leads the list with 15,921 runs, while Dravid and Gavaskar ended their careers at 13,288 and 10,122 respectively. Kohli’s 9,230 runs in 210 innings rightfully place him in the same league as the legends. Although his petering form post the pandemic prevented him from etching his name alongside the all-time greats, Kohli has been the point of difference for this generation.How do Kohli’s runs in Tests rank internationally?If Kohli stands tall at fourth in terms of runs scored in Tests by Indian cricketers, a total of 15 more stars find a spot between him and Tendulkar on the international stage. While Sachin leads the list with his unmatched tally of 15,921, the likes of Ricky Ponting with 13,378, Jacques Kallis with 13,289, and England’s Joe Root amassing 12,972 rank in the top 5. Kohli, with his total of 9,230, stands in 19th spot, behind South Africa’s Graeme Smith (9,265) and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson (9,276), who also happens to be the all-time leading run-scorer in Tests for his country.