Virat Kohli Sets 'Rare' Batting Records With World Cup 2023 Knock Against Australia
Virat Kohli in action against Australia at the 2023 World Cup (AP)
Virat Kohli punched out a rebellious 85 against Australia in yet another run-chase masterclass for Team India. His 165-run partnership with KL Rahul set up India’s colossal six-wicket win in Chennai, as the ‘Men in Blue’ launched their 2023 World Cup crusade on a confident note.
Kohli, who seems to be knocking off milestones for fun these days, registered two more huge batting records to his name through the course of his latest match-winning effort.
Virat Kohli topples Sachin Tendulkar, Sangakkara at one stroke
Less than a month after becoming the fastest batsman in history to aggregate over 13,000 runs in ODIs, Virat Kohli soared past a number of legends for a few more batting records through his run-chase special in Chennai.
For starters, his 85 against Australia took him past Sachin Tendulkar as India’s highest run-maker across all ICC white-ball events (World Cup, T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy). Tendulkar had stockpiled 2,719 runs in ICC tournaments during his playing days, while Kohli currently sits on a mound of 2,785 runs from 64 ICC innings.
Top five most runs for India in ICC events (World Cup, T20 WC, Champions Trophy):
| Most runs for India in ICC limited-over tournaments |
|---|
| 2785 - Virat Kohli (64 Inns) |
| 2719 - Sachin Tendulkar (58 Inns) |
| 2422 - Rohit Sharma (64 Inns) |
| 1707 - Yuvraj Singh (62 Inns) |
| 1671 - Sourav Ganguly (32 Inns) |
Virat Kohli also toppled legendary Kumar Sangakkara in terms of most fifty-plus ODI scores as a non-opener. His 85-run knock against Australia in India’s 2023 World Cup fixture marked his 67th half-century in ODIs, and his 114th score of 50 or more overall in the format. He slapped 113 of those scores as a non-opener, thus going past Sangakkara who registered 112 fifty-plus scores in the middle-order for Sri Lanka. Here is a look at four non-opening batsmen with most 50-plus scores in ODI cricket.
Most fifty-plus scores as a non-opener in ODI cricket:
| Most 50+ scores as a non-opener in ODI matches |
|---|
| 113 - Virat Kohli |
| 112 - Kumar Sangakkara |
| 109 - Ricky Ponting |
| 102 - Jacques Kallis |
Additionally, Virat Kohli also became the fastest batsman in the world to score over 11,000 runs while batting at number three in ODIs. Achieving the feat in just his 215th innings at the position, he bettered Ricky Ponting by over a 100 innings in the format. Remarkably, Kohli and Ponting are the only two batters in ODI history to have piled up more than 11,000 runs at number three, with Kumar Sangakkara’s tally of 9,747 runs placing him as the third most-prolific number three batter in history.
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