Follow UsAn eight-ball duck in the first ODI in Perth caused disappointment, but the disappointment turned into serious concern following yet another duck in the second ODI in Adelaide.
‘Is this the end?’, people wondered. ‘He looks like he’s no longer got it’, many feared and claimed.
However, not for the first time, Virat Kohli has ended up proving his doubters wrong as at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) today, in what was his last ever international match in Australia, the ODI GOAT showed why he’s still among the best in the 50-over format, crossing the 50-run mark for a whopping 126th time in ODIs.
The greatest chaser of all time crafted a perfect fifty in a run chase yet again, and, in the process, set an all-time record. He crossed fifty for the 70th time while batting second, going past the Little Master Sachin Tendulkar to script a new world record.
Most 50+ scores in run chases
70 - Virat Kohli
69 - Sachin Tendulkar
55 - Rohit Sharma
50 - Jacques Kallis
On the night, Kohli also surpassed Kumar Sangakkara in terms of runs to become the second-highest run-getter in ODI history. The only person in front of him now? Sachin. It will forever stay that way considering Sachin is close to 18.5K, but it is safe to assume that Kohli’s second spot will never be snatched away from him in this list.
Most runs in ODIs
18426 - Sachin Tendulkar
14238* - Virat Kohli
14234 - Kumar Sangakkara
13704 - Ricky Ponting
On the night, chasing 237, Kohli walked in with the openers having already set a nice platform, and he made sure to play the perfect ‘chase’ innings. He had a couple of streaky moments early on, including a top-edge off Josh Hazlewood flying over the wicketkeeper's head to the boundary, but looked impenetrable once he got in, and ‘ran’ the opposition into the ground in trademark style.
Fittingly, he had for company Rohit Sharma at the other end, someone who is also playing his last international match in Australia. Together, they slayed the Aussie bowlers, and seamlessly drove the side to victory, well and truly turning back the clock.