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There is no end to Virat Kohli’s records. After recording a stupendous performance in the ODI series against South Africa — which India won 5-1 — the skipper registered more than 900 points in the ICC rankings and became the first Indian to have achieved the feat.
His rating, 909, is the seventh highest in the history of ODI cricket. It is also the highest by any cricketer since Australia’s Dean Jones (918) in 1991.
Before the ODI series, Kohli’s ranking stood at 876 — the 18th highest of all time — and he overtook superman AB de Villiers (844) to get there.
Kohli scored 558 runs in the six-match series, including three hundreds, which escalated his case.
That’s not all.
Keeping in mind all the games, across formats, in South Africa, Kohli is in line to catch up with the likes of Sir Donald Bradman and Sir Viv Richards in the ‘most runs’ bracket on a single tour.
Richards is the only batsman in the history of the game to record more than 1,000 runs (1,045 to be precise) on a single tour. Bradman is placed second at 974.
The maverick batsman is currently sitting on 870 runs — with two more T20Is to follow; 130 short of Richard’s record and 104 short of Bradman.
In 1976 against England, Richards scored 829 runs — including two double tons — in four Tests and 216 runs more in the three-match ODI series.
Bradman’s 974 came in the Ashes campaign of 1930.
Former Australia skipper Mark Taylor came close to Bradman’s record when he scored 839 runs in the six-match Ashes series in 1989.
India head coach Ravi Shastri beautifully summed up Kohli’s brilliance. “It’s not just about averages, it is the way you get runs, when you get it, and the impact those runs have on what the team does. I would simply say he is the best batsman in the world now,” he said after India’s ODI series win.
The whole unit functioned with a lot of intensity throughout the series and Shastri believes it all came from the captain. “You spoke of intensity. Where does the intensity come from? When you have a leader like that, who leads by example, the other guys jolly well follow. Otherwise they know what to expect. That’s the beauty about this team on this trip where I feel proud as a coach about my boys and the intensity they showed,” he added.
Though it is uncertain if Kohli gets to the 1,000-run mark, but he certainly had a fantastic series. Being third in line, next to legends, is a big deal.
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Virat Kohli in SA (as of February 20, 2018)
Tests 3 Runs 286 100s 1 50s 1 HS 153
ODIs 6 Runs 558 100s 3 50s 1 HS 160*
T20Is 1 (two to go) Runs 26 100s 0 50s 0 HS 26
Overall record
Games 10 Runs 870 100s 4 50s 2 HS 160*
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