India’s national cricket team’s modern batsman Virat Kohli has achieved a remarkable feat in limited overs cricket and has broken the all-time record of the great Sachin Tendulkar.
Virat Kohli has officially dethroned Sachin Tendulkar from the mountaintop to become the leading run-scorer in the history of white-ball cricket – combining both T20Is and ODIs.
Virat Kohli shines in Sydney ODI
Right-handed batsman Kohli had a very poor start to the Australia tour as he was out for consecutive ducks in the first two ODIs against the Mitchell Marsh-led team.
In the first ODI at the Perth Stadium, Virat Kohli was out for zero while trying to play a drive outside the off-stump off Mitchell Starc and edged out Cooper Connolly.
His misery continued in the second match at the Adelaide Oval as he was out for a duck once again. Xavier Bartlett bowled a length ball around the off-stump which slipped and hit Kohli’s pads as he tried to play a flick shot.
As soon as Kohli was found in front of the stumps, the umpire immediately pointed his finger and after a long conversation with Rohit Sharma, he decided to walk off the field. This was the first time in his 304-match ODI career that Kohli was out for ducks in two consecutive matches.
However, Virat Kohli made a comeback in the third ODI match played at Sydney Cricket Ground. He was out on the very first ball and remained unbeaten till the end.
Kohli scored 74* runs in 81 balls with the help of 7 fours and was involved in the match-winning partnership of 168 runs in 170 balls with Rohit Sharma.
Historic achievement! Virat Kohli reached the top
Kohli’s stellar batting performance in Sydney helped him surpass Sachin Tendulkar as the leading run-scorer in white-ball cricket. Tendulkar, who is called the God of Cricket, had scored 1836 runs in his illustrious career and Kohli has now crossed that figure.
Most runs in white-ball international matches (ODIs + T20Is).
18443 – Kohli*
18436 – Sachin Tendulkar
15616 – Kumar Sangakkara
15601 – Rohit Sharma*
14,143 – Mahela Jayawardene
14,105 – Ricky Ponting
Not only this, Kohli has also become the second highest run scorer in the history of ODI cricket, leaving behind Kumar Sangakkara.
Most runs in ODI cricket history:
Sachin Tendulkar – 18,426 (452 innings)
Kohli – 14,238* (293 innings)
Kumar Sangakkara – 14,234 (380 innings)
Nice to see great players celebrating – Ian Bishop on Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma
After India’s spectacular 9-wicket win in the 3rd ODI, cricketer-turned-commentator Ian Bishop took to Twitter to express his joy at cricket fans and experts celebrating Rohit Sharma and Kohli. He said:
“The respect shown by the Australian team to Rohit and Virat by the spectators, teams, commentators as two champions of the game has been absolutely heart-warming. It’s great to see great players celebrated around the world.”
Additionally, Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty took to Twitter and praised Rohit and Kohli while launching an attack on their critics. He said:
“It’s strange how quickly we forget… the records, the fights, the pride, the tears, the sacrifices. Two games and suddenly everyone is a critic. They heard the noise. They read the doubts. They kept quiet… and let the bat do the talking. Because legends like Rohit and Virat don’t need to prove a point – they are the issue. @ImRo45 @imVkohli #RespectTheGame #LegendsNeverFade #WakeUpIndia.”
Also Read: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli confirm participation in 2027 World Cup during conversation with Adam Gilchrist after Sydney ODI
