New Delhi:
Virat Kohli was not in ‘great form’ heading into the Adelaide ODI against Australia, leading to some trolls questioning whether his dip in consistency had arrived. His returns in the two games in Sydney, a Test and an ODI, were 23 and 3. However, when it comes to class, consistency and sheer brilliance, no one can match Kohli and he showed his class in the second ODI in Adelaide as India was chasing 299 in a must-win situation. The Indian skipper looked set to score a century as the game was evenly poised. India need a win to level the three-match series after losing the first match in Sydney by 34 runs and the captain led from the front.
When Kohli chopped a flatter delivery from Glenn Maxwell to the third man fence for a couple, Kohli scored his 49th fifty but during the course of his knock, he also achieved another record. His knock in Adelaide also helped him get past 6000 runs in ODIs overseas when one takes into account matches at neutral venues as well. Kohli is the 19th player to achieve this milestone and the fifth Indian to go past 6,000 runs in ODIs.
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Sachin Tendulkar leads the list with a staggering 11450 runs at an average of 43.04 while Saurav Ganguly has 8253 runs at an average of 39. Rahul Dravid has 7483 runs at 37.60 while Mohammad Azharuddin has 6215 runs at an average of 36. Kohli’s average is 58 in the current lot, which is the best among the lot.
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The Adelaide Oval holds some great memories for Kohli. He scored three centuries in three Tests against Australia, with two centuries in the same Test in 2014. In the 2015 World Cup encounter against Pakistan played at this venue, Kohli smashed 107 to help India remain unbeaten in the World Cup. His highest score in Twenty20 Internationals is also at this venue, smashing 90 in the first match against Australia.
A win for India in Adelaide will help Kohli’s side level the three-match series 1-1 and it will be all to be play for in Melbourne as India aim to build momentum for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 which will be played in England.
