Virat Kohli slams 46th ODI century, breaks flurry of records
Indian batter Virat Kohli scored a sublime 110-ball 166* in the third and final ODI against Sri Lanka on Sunday. It was his 46th ODI ton and second in the concluded series. Kohli's hundred powered India to a majestic 390/5. India eventually won by 317 runs, recording the biggest-ever win by a side in ODI cricket. We look at the records scripted by Kohli.
A well-paced knock from Kohli
India were off to a flier after opting to bat first in Thiruvananthapuram. Kohli arrived at number three with the scorecard reading 95/1. He added to SL's agony with a century stand (131 runs) alongside Shubman Gill for the second wicket. Kohli ended up scoring an unbeaten 166 off 110 balls, a knock laced with 13 fours and eight sixes.
Fifth-highest run-getter in ODIs
Kohli has now displaced SL legend Mahela Jayawardene as the fifth-highest run-getter in ODIs. The latter finished his career with 12,650 runs in 448 games at 33.37. The former Indian skipper now owns 12,754 runs in 268 ODIs at 58.23. Only Sachin Tendulkar (18,426), Kumar Sangakkara (14,234), Ricky Ponting (13,704), and Sanath Jayasuriya (13,430) are now ahead of Kohli in terms of ODI runs.
Fifth 150-plus score for Kohli
Kohli clocked his fifth 150-plus score in ODI cricket. As per Kausthub Gudipati, it's the most such score by a non-opener in men's ODIs. West Indies legend Viv Richards (3) trails him. The likes of Brian Lara, AB de Villiers, Calum MacLeod, and Jos Buttler are tied with two hundreds each.
Major milestones for Kohli
As per Gudipati, Kohli now has the most unbeaten 150-plus scores in ODIs (4), above Tendulkar, Martin Guptill, and Rohit Sharma (3 each). Kohli now has the joint-most Player of the Series awards in international cricket (20). He shares this tally with Tendulkar. Notably, the prolific batter holds 10 awards in this regard in ODIs.
7th Player of the Match award versus SL
Kohli bagged his seventh Player of the Match award against SL. As per Gudipati, it is the most by an Indian versus SL in ODIs. He steered clear of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Tendulkar (6 each). Kohli won his third Player of the Series award against SL in ODIs (3), the most by a player. He ranks above Dhoni and Mohammad Hafeez (2 each).
Records broken by Kohli
As per Gudipati, Kohli now holds the record for the fastest ODI 150 by a cricketer in India (106 balls vs SL). He beat George Bailey (109 balls vs India, 2013), Virender Sehwag (112 balls vs West Indies, 2011), and Rohit (117 balls vs West Indies, 2018). Kohli has become the first player to score 10 ODI hundreds against the same opponent.
2,500-plus runs against SL
Kohli's emphatic century got him past 2,500 runs against Sri Lanka in the format. He now has 2,503 runs across 50 matches. He averages a whopping 64.17 (100s: 10, 50s: 11). He is only the second batsman with 2,500-plus ODI runs against the Lankans, after batting maestro Tendulkar (3,113).
Most ODI hundreds at home
Kohli has now racked up the most centuries in home ODIs, 21 in 104 games. He went past Tendulkar, who scored 20 such tons. Meanwhile, Kohli's tally of 74 international hundreds is also only second to Tendulkar (100). Kohli is the fastest to 46 ODI hundreds (268 matches) and 74 international tons (487 matches).
Second-highest score in ODI cricket; highest at Greenfield Stadium
As stated, this was the fifth instance of Kohli scoring 150 or more in ODI cricket. It was also his second-highest score in the format, behind his 183 against Pakistan. Notably, Kohli, for the first time, smashed as many as eight sixes in an ODI match. Kohli's 166* is the highest ODI score at Greenfield International Stadium across two ODIs played at the venue.
Other incredible numbers from the match
As per ESPNcricinfo, the difference between Kohli's 166* and Sri Lanka's tally of 73 is the second-highest between a batter's score and the rival's total in a men's ODI (93). The highest is 135 runs when Jayasuriya clobbered 189 against India. The Men in Blue were then bundled out for 54 in 2000. With 46 ODI hundreds, Kohli only ranks behind Tendulkar (49).
Kohli plays an ODI-cum-T20 knock
Kohli struck at 150.91 in his herculean innings on Sunday. As per Gudipati, it was his fourth ODI hundred while striking at 150-plus, the most by an Indian batter. Mohammad Azharuddin, Yuvraj Singh, Sehwag, Yusuf Pathan, Rohit, Kedar Jadhav, and Ishan Kishan are tied with one hundred each in this regard.
