Virat Kohli Can Register These Records In The South Africa ODIs

Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli has gone 22 innings across formats without a century. He was in a spot of bother in the recently-concluded tour of New Zealand across formats.

However, the star batsman has a chance to make amends and get back to his groove in the upcoming ODIs against South Africa, starting March 12.

The two nations are set to feature in three ODIs and India will be aiming to bounce back in style after going down 0-3 against New Zealand.

For India to do well against a resurgent South African unit, skipper Virat Kohli needs to be in the thick of things. His runs in the 50-over format is something that has been so vital for the side over the years.

Kohli is a true ODI legend and his application in the 50-over format is remarkable. After Sachin Tendulkar, it’s Kohli, who has gone on to dominate the show.

A carrier of records, Kohli has made it a habit of taking things to another level and make an impact everywhere he goes. Kohli is a different breed and will hope to bounce back in style against Quinton de Kock’s men.

In the previous ODI series at home back in January 2020 against Australia, it was Kohli’s two successive match-winning knocks that helped India seal the deal by a 2-1 margin.

And ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 season, the Indian cricket team will be hoping to sign out of international cricket with a sense of satisfaction and confidence.

Kohli, who has bagged so many special records, could be in line to add a few more in the ODI series against the Proteas. In this article, we look at the records Kohli could break in the 50-over format.

Kohli can join these legends with this record

The 31-year-old Kohli’s tuning in ODIs is something we are all aware of. Runs and Kohli go hand in hand. In 239 innings, the Indian skipper has amassed a total of 11,867 runs at an average of 59.33. When you look at the top 10 run-scorers in the format, Kohli boasts of the best average. In fact, he is the only one with a 50-plus career average as well.

In the upcoming ODI series, Kohli can become only the sixth batsman in the world to get past 12,000 career ODI runs. Former cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakkara, Ricky Ponting, Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene are the only players to have achieved this mark.

Kohli is just 123 runs away to register 12,000 runs in ODI cricket.

Kohli can surpass Dada, Viru with this tally

Senior batsman Kohli is one of the best boundary hitters of the game. He can pick gaps at will and mesmerise fans with his art of hitting fours. Often, Kohli focuses more on hitting through the ground rather than aerial shots. In 239 innings so far, the Indian skipper has already amassed 1,116 fours in ODI cricket.

In the South Africa ODIs, Kohli can get past several legends of the game in terms of fours hit. Kohli can g0 past the likes of Jayawardene (1,119), Sourav Ganguly (1,122), Chris Gayle (1,128), Virender Sehwag (1,132) and Adam Gilchrist (1,162). It would be a remarkable moment for Kohli to be in some great company.

Sachin Tendulkar (2,016) leads the show in ODIs for the most number of fours in the format. Only three others have crossed the 1,200-four mark in their careers.

Kohli in line to break another Ganguly feat in ODIs

When it comes to India-South Africa ODIs, batting maestro Tendulkar has been the only one to have amassed 2,000-plus runs in the format. However, Kohli, who has amassed 1,287 runs against the Proteas in ODIs, will be aiming to climb up the ladder. 

Kohli is right now the seventh-highest run-scorer in India-South Africa ODIs. He loves batting against SA and has an average in excess of 60-plus. Notably, he is the only the third batsman to have this tally out of the top 10 in India-SA ODIs.

In the three-match series, Kohli can get past the 1,300-run mark against South Africa. He will become only the fourth Indian batsman to do so. Besides Sachin, the likes of Ganguly and Rahul Dravid have managed over 1,300 career ODI runs against South Africa. If he gets a century, then that will see him equal Tendulkar’s tally (5).