Virat Kohli Sledges and Bats his Way Past Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara

Virat Kohli has really exploded in this current Test series between India and Australia. His war of words with the Aussies has made headlines but his cricket has been equally magnificent. The Indian vice-captain has slammed three hundreds and a half-century in six innings so far in the series. His 499 runs is the most by a visiting No. 4 batsman in Australia.

Kohli had got off to a sensational start, hammering twin hundreds at the Adelaide Oval before a flop show in Brisbane. At the MCG, Kohli was back at his best, clobbering his ninth Test hundred and a compact 54 on the final day as India were set a daunting 384 to win the epic Boxing Day contest. (Kohli vs Australia Duel Continues on Day 5)

The 26-year-old from Delhi in the middle of a purple patch, broke Sachin Tendulkar's record of 480 off seven innings achieved during another controversial series, back in 2007-08. Gundappa Vishwanathan is next in the list with 473 runs in nine innings while West Indian legend Brian Lara is fourth with 466 runs from eight innings.

No visiting No. 4 has scored 500 runs in Australia and Kohli is just one short of that landmark. Unless something disastrous happens at Sydney next month, Kohli, who led India in the Adelaide Test, should create history. (Kohli Aggression Can be Counter-Productive: Gavaskar)

Kohli has joined an illustrious club. The three men he has now left behind are counted among the greatest batsmen to have ever played the game. They were all combative but always known for their expression with the bat, not their body language.

Several former cricketers have raised concerns over Kohli's verbal onslaughts and they fear this could affect his game. Sunil Gavaskar feels Kohli must know where to draw the line with his aggressive posturing on the field. (Nothing Wrong With Kohli's Aggression: Dean Jones)

"Every batsman has his own way of dealing with aggression," said Gavaskar, adding he needed to learn from his successful predecessors on how to manage aggression.

"If this (Kohli's aggression) is having some steel, are you suggesting that Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble and Sourav Ganguly did not have it?" Gavaskar told NDTV. "They were also massively tough on the field." (Sky the Limit for Kohli: Gavaskar)

As the leader of a young batting group, Kohli has to be more responsible. Gavaskar said if Kohli calmed down a bit, he could score double and triple hundreds to dominate cricket's next era. His dismissal for 169 on the final ball on Day 3 at MCG was a major blow to India's chances of at least taking a first innings lead. Who knows which way the game would have gone then!