Virat Kohli's 85 Breaks Tendulkar's Records in ODI Opener
In a thrilling ODI World Cup opener at Chepauk, Virat Kohli made history by breaking two of Sachin Tendulkar's long-standing records. It was reminiscent of 1983, when India faced a tough challenge and Kapil Dev played an unforgettable innings to save the day against Zimbabwe. The openers, Sunil Gavaskar and Kris Srikkanth, both fell without scoring a run, leaving India at a precarious 17 for 5. Fast forward forty years, and India experienced another batting collapse, with openers Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan failing to score against Australia.
Just like in 1983, when India looked down and out, Kohli and Rahul stepped up to rescue the team. Though they missed out on centuries, their exceptional batting performances were crucial in India's victory. Rahul remained unbeaten with 97 runs, while Kohli contributed 85 runs off 116 balls, adding another milestone to his illustrious career. During this memorable match at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Kohli achieved multiple records, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble.
Kohli's 15th catch of the World Cup propelled him past Kumble's record, making him the Indian player with the most catches in ODI World Cup history. Kohli's batting prowess was equally impressive as he faced the challenge of resurrecting India's innings. India had a rocky start, finding themselves at 2-3 in just 1.6 overs. However, Kohli lived up to his reputation as the “chase master” and played a game-changing innings against the five-time world champions.
Kohli's 85 runs came after being dropped on 12 by Mitchell Marsh, who became the first Australian opener to be dismissed for a duck against India in an ODI World Cup match. Kohli's outstanding knock included six boundaries and marked his highest score in a successful World Cup run chase.
In a historic achievement, Kohli now holds the record for the most runs in successful ODI chases, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar. He has accumulated 5,517 runs in 92 innings, overtaking Tendulkar's tally of 5,490 runs in 124 innings. Additionally, Kohli shattered Tendulkar's record for the most runs by an Indian in white-ball ICC tournaments. While Tendulkar scored 2,719 runs in 61 matches, Kohli crossed the 2,780-run mark during the recent game. As the fastest player to reach 13,000 ODI runs, Kohli is now just two centuries away from matching Tendulkar's record for the most ODI hundreds.
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