 "After getting dismissed for back-to-back ducks in the first two ODIs against Australia, Virat Kohli bounced back to form in the third ODI in Sydney. AP")
After getting dismissed for back-to-back ducks for the first time in his career, Virat Kohli was back among the runs in the third and final ODI between India and Australia in Sydney on Saturday. After ‘celebrating’ a single at the start of his innings, Kohli converted a positive start into a half-century, much to the delight of the Indian-majority crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground and millions of fans around the world.
LIVE | India vs Australia, 3rd ODI in Sydney
And in the process, Kohli ended surpassing not one but two milestones. Soon as he brought up his 75th ODI half-century with a single off Cooper Connolly in the 28th over, taking 56 deliveries along the way, he went past the legendary batter to become the batter with most fifty-plus scores in ODI chases.
Kohli now has 70 fifty-plus scores in ODI chases, one more than Tendulkar, while long-time India teammate Rohit Sharma and legendary South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis are third and fourth respectively with 55 and 50 fifty-plus scores respectively.
Kohli moves to 2nd spot in ODI run-scorers’ list
Just three overs later, Kohli would achieve another milestone with a single off Connolly’s bowling – going past iconic Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Sangakkara to move the second spot on the list of leading run-scorers in One-Day Internationals.
The single took Kohli to 14,235 runs in the 50-over format – one more than former Sri Lanka captain Sri Lanka. Only Tendulkar (18,426) has scored more ODI runs than Kohli.
Rohit, meanwhile, would bring up his 33rd ODI century shortly after in a follow-up to his 73 in the second ODI in Adelaide, with the Men in Blue very much on track to chase down the modest 237-run target set by Australia in the dead rubber in Sydney.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsRohit and Kohli have forged a vintage second-wicket partnership that is yet to be broken, steering India past the 200 mark after the visitors lost their opening wicket with 69 on the board, with captain Shubman Gill getting caught-behind for 24.