Mumbai: With detractors and naysayers itching to write his obituary, the ‘Chase Master’ rolled back with a sublime innings, marked by his steely resolve, determination, and resilience. Records fell like ninepins as Kohli surpassed Australian great Ricky Ponting to become the third-highest run-getter in international cricket.
Now, in 299 ODIs, Virat has scored 14,085 runs at an average of 58.20, with 51 centuries and 73 fifties. With that, he joins an illustrious club: Sachin Tendulkar with 18,246 runs and Kumar Sangakkara (14234) are the only two batsmen apart from him in the distinguished 14000 club.
In a match where the wicket wasn’t the easiest to bat on, given the fatigued and tardy nature of the pitches in Dubai, Kohli dug in deep to show his mettle against the stunned Pakistanis, who have been at the receiving end of his genius for a decade and a half now. With seven fours and a strike rate of 90.09, Kohli’s 100 against Pakistan came off 111 balls, a testament to the laboured effort he put in under not the most ideal batting conditions.
After slamming his 51st ODI century, the talismanic Kohli said that he felt good to bat in a solid manner in an important game for his team, where his main job was to control the middle overs against the spinners. It was a double whammy for the Indian great as he created yet another record for the most catches by an Indian fielder, snaring his 157th scalp and thus overtaking the previous record of 156 held by former captain Mohammad Azharuddin.
