After overcoming the failure of getting out for zero in two consecutive matches, Virat Kohli returned to form in Sydney. In the final ODI of the series against Australia, he played a brilliant match-winning innings of 74 runs, achieving two extraordinary milestones along the way. In this single innings, he surpassed two legends: Kumar Sangakkara and Sachin Tendulkar.
On the day of Kohli’s twin records, India defeated hosts Australia by a huge margin of 9 wickets, avoiding a series whitewash.
During his 74-run innings in the match, Virat Kohli became the second-highest run-scorer in ODI history. He broke the long-standing record of Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara, who had scored 14,234 runs. After this match, Kohli’s total ODI runs reached 14,255. The only player ahead of him on this list is Sachin Tendulkar (18,426 runs).
Additionally, Virat Kohli surpassed Sachin Tendulkar to become the highest run-scorer in white-ball cricket (ODIs and T20s combined). His total runs for India now stand at 18,437. Kohli achieved this milestone during the India-Australia match in Sydney, surpassing Tendulkar’s previous record of 18,369 runs.
On this day, Kohli also broke another major record of Sachin Tendulkar. He now holds the world record for the most fifty-plus innings while chasing in ODIs. In this match, Kohli played his 70th fifty-plus innings while chasing, one more than Tendulkar’s 69.
At the Sydney Cricket Ground, Australia batted first. In response, India’s captain Shubman Gill (24) was dismissed early, and Kohli came to the crease. He then formed a partnership with Rohit Sharma that steered the team to victory. The two batters put together an unbroken 168-run stand.
Rohit Sharma also scored his 50th international century in this match, joining the elite club of Sachin and Kohli. For his outstanding performance, Rohit was named ‘Player of the Series’ and became the oldest cricketer to win this award in ODI history.