Team India batsman Virat Kohli broke several records during the third ODI against South Africa in Visakhapatnam on Saturday, December 6, surpassing the milestones of MS Dhoni and AB de Villiers. The right-handed batsman silenced his critics by scoring his fourth consecutive half-century in the 50-over format.
India won the toss and decided to bowl first and restricted South Africa to 271 runs. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma made a partnership of 155 runs for the first wicket. When Kohli came to the crease, the match was in India’s control. He scored 65 runs in 46 balls and the hosts completed the chase with 61 balls remaining.
Virat Kohli won the Player of the Series title by dominating with the bat.
Virat Kohli won the Player of the Series award after finishing as the highest run-scorer. The right-handed batsman scored 302 runs at an average of 151 and strike rate of 117.05. He started with two centuries (135 and 102) and finished the series with a half-century.
Kohli finished 2025 as the highest ODI scorer for India in 2025, surpassing Rohit Sharma by just one run. His 302 runs are his most in any ODI series of three matches or less. Earlier, he had scored 293 runs against Sri Lanka in 2023, where he also scored two centuries.
Kohli hit 12 sixes in this series, which is the most sixes hit in any one ODI series or tournament. He had earlier hit nine sixes against Sri Lanka in 2023 and during the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Virat Kohli broke AB de Villiers’ record; Went ahead of MS Dhoni
The 37-year-old batsman became the only player to score over 600 ODI runs with an average over 100 at the same venue. He has scored 652 runs in eight matches on the field at an incredible average of 108.66, which includes three centuries and three fifties.
Best average at any position (minimum 600 runs):
| player | Field | it goes | average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | Visakhapatnam | 652 | 108.66 |
| AB de Villiers | johannesburg | 732 | 91.50 |
| Ross Taylor | napier | 779 | 86.55 |
This is the sixth time that Kohli has ended a year with more than 500 ODI runs at an average above 60. He went ahead of MS Dhoni, who had achieved the feat five times. Only AB de Villiers and Michael Bevan have done this four times each.
Most 600+ runs years with 60+ average:
| player | Times | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | 6 | 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2023, 2025 |
| ms dhoni | 5 | 2009, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2019 |
| AB de Villiers | 4 | 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015 |
| Michael Bevan | 4 | 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003 |
Virat Kohli has taken the lead as the player with most number of series wins in international cricket.
Virat Kohli added another major milestone to his career by winning another Player of the Series award, taking his total to 22 across all formats. He collected 19 awards in bilateral series along with Player of the Tournament titles at the 2014 and 2016 T20 World Cups and the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Kohli is now the player with most POTS/POTT awards in international cricket, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s 20 awards. In ODIs, Kohli has won 12 Player of the Series awards, while Tendulkar still leads the list with 15 awards.
He continued his strong form by registering four consecutive ODI half-centuries for the ninth time in his career and no other player has done so more than four times.
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