Virat Kohli scored his 39th ODI hundred and became the 11th highest run-getter in the format during the second ODI against Australia at the Adelaide Oval on Tuesday. He played brilliantly for his 104 off 112 balls before falling to Jhye Richardson. Kohli is already second in the list of most century makers in one-day internationals and on a day when India needed their captain to step up in a steep run chase, he produced another master-class.
This is Virat Kohli’s sixth ODI hundred against Australia. Only Sachin Tendulkar (9) and Rohit Sharma (7) have scored more ODI centuries against the Aussies. West Indies great Desmond Haynes also scored 6 hundreds against Australia. Besides, this was Kohli’s fifth hundred in Australia.
This was Kohli’s first ODI hundred against Australia since January 20, 2016 in Canberra. Over the next three years, Kohli played seven ODIs against the Aussies before the Adelaide game but managed a best of 92 at the Eden Gardens on September 21, 2017.
Kohli has now scored 24 ODI hundreds while chasing.
Overall he has overtaken Kumar Sangakkara to become third in the list for most international hundreds. Sachin Tendulkar leads with 100 international hundreds from 782 innings. Ricky Ponting has 71 hundreds from 668 innings while Kohli has scored 64 hundreds from 401 innings.
Sangakkara had scored 63 international hundreds from 666 innings.
Virat Kohli has been in sensational form since the tour of Australia back in 2016. That year, he scored 3 ODI hundreds from 10 matches before hammering 6 ODI hundreds in 2017. In 2018, Kohli was the highest run-scorer in one-day internationals and smashed 6 hundreds.
Kohli had an average Test series by his standards but his classy hundred on a dodgy pitch in Perth earned him rave reviews.
Chasing 299 in Adelaide on Tuesday, India lost Shikhar Dhawan after a quick start but Kohli and Rohit Sharma shared a crucial partnership for the second wicket. After Rohit was dismissed for 43, Kohli stitched up another key partnership with Ambati Rayudu before the latter was out for 24.
MS Dhoni, who has struggled with the bat in recent years, walked in at No.5. He was slow to get off the mark but Virat Kohli upped the ante after bringing up his fifty off 66 balls., reported India Today.
Virat Kohli was in sensational form in the six-match ODI series in South Africa in 2018, smashing 558 runs including three hundreds. He did not a hundred in the three-match series in England but Kohli was back in his elements against the West Indies he scored three successive hundreds.
On Saturday, Kohli was dismissed for 3 and India collapsed to 4 for 3 inside four overs – eventually, they lost the first ODI to Australia in Sydney by 34 runs. However, on Tuesday, Kohli was determined to lead from the front.
In the Test series, Kohli was overshadowed by Cheteshwar Pujara and Rishabh Pant and then Rohit Sharma got off to a great start with his 22nd ODI hundred at the Sydney Cricket Ground. By Tuesday, a Virat Kohli hundred was due and the King did not disappoint his legion of fans.