After two successive ducks, star India batter Virat Kohli returned to his record-breaking ways, overtaking Kumar Sangakkara to become the second-highest run-getter in ODI cricket and surpassing iconic Sachin Tendulkar to become the highest run-getter of all time across all limited-overs international cricket.
Virat, along with Rohit Sharma, turned back the clock with an unbeaten 168-run stand, helping India avoid a series whitewash as they beat Australia by nine wickets in the final ODI at Sydney to end the series on a high.
Virat played a magnificent hand in the partnership, complementing Rohit’s power with his supreme wrist work and strike rotation, scoring 74* in 81 balls, with seven fours and runs coming at a strike rate of 91.35.
Now in 305 ODIs, Virat has scored 14,250 runs in 293 innings at an average of 57.69, with 51 centuries and 75 fifties and a best score of 183. He surpassed Sangakkara (14,234 runs in 404 matches with 25 centuries) to get more closer to Sachin. The Indian icon is the highest run-getter in the ODI format, scoring 18,426 runs in 463 matches at an average of 44.83, with 49 centuries and 96 fifties, and his best score being 200*.
Virat, who also has 4,188 runs in 125 T20Is to go along with his ODI runs, has now surpassed Sachin to become the top-run-getter across all limited-overs international cricket (ODIs and T20Is), now owning a total of 18.438 runs in both these formats as compared to Sachin’s 18,436 runs. The Master Blaster had played just one T20I, scoring 10 runs.
Now, Virat has also surpassed Sachin Tendulkar (69 fifty-plus scores) to have the most fifty-plus scores during ODI run-chases (70).
This is Virat’s 24th 50-plus score (eight centuries and 16 fifties) in 51 innings against Australia, the joint-most alongside Sachin (24 such scores in 70 innings. Now against Australia in ODIs, he has made 2,525 runs in 51 innings and 53 matches at an average of 53.72, with eight centuries and 16 fifties and a best score of 123.
This year, in 10 ODIs, Virat has scored 349 runs at an average of 43.62, with a century and three fifties to his name and a best score of 100* in 10 innings.
Coming to the match, Australia won the toss and opted to bat first. A 61-run stand between skipper Mitchell Marsh (41 in 50 balls, with five fours and a six) and Travis Head (29 in 25 balls, with six fours) started off things for Australia.
Matt Short contributed a knock of 30 in 41 balls, with two fours, and a 59-run stand between Matt Renshaw (56 in 58 balls, with two fours) and Alex Carey (24 in 37 balls, with a four) took the Aussies to 183/3. But from there, Aussies collapsed to 236 all out in 46.4 overs, with Harshit Rana (4/39 in 8.4 overs), Washington Sundar (2/44) being the pick of the bowlers and Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav getting one each.
In the 237 run-chase, India was off to a solid start with a 69-run opening stand between Shubman Gill (24 in 26 balls, with two fours and a six). From there, happened something fans had waited for all series, as Rohit Sharma (121* in 125 balls, with 13 fours and three sixes) and Virat Kohli (74* in 81 balls, with seven fours) put on an unbeaten 168-run partnership and achieved several milestones, winning the match with nine wickets still in hand.
Rohit won the ‘Player of the Match’ award and the ‘Player of the Series’ award as well for top-scoring in the series with 202 runs, including a century and a fifty each.
