Virat Kohli
Indian captain Virat Kohli on Sunday added another feather to his already-crammed hat during the second ODI of the three-game series against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Kohli became the joint-second fastest batsman to 2000 ODI runs against Australia.
Kohli achieved the feat after going past his 102nd fifty-plus score and his first at the Sydney Cricket Ground. He amassed 2000 ODI runs against the Aussies and equalled his idol Sachin Tendulkar to become the joint second-fastest to the feat. Both Kohli and Sachin achieved the milestone in their 40th innings in the format against Australia. Rohit Sharma, who is not part of the series owing to his recovery from an injury, still stands atop having amassed 2000 runs against Australia in 37 innings.
Overall, he stands joint third on the list of fastest to 2000 ODI runs against a single opposition. His record against West Indies - in just 34 innings - stands at the top of the list.
Talking about the match, the top five fired in unison, scoring their respective fifty-plus scores to drive the hosts to a colossal 389 for four - their highest ODI total against India surpassing their previous best of 374 for six achieved in the ODI series opener on Friday. Aaron Finch and David Warner stitched a 142-run stand before Steve Smith scored a second successive ton and 11th in the format while managing a century stand as well, alongside Marnus Labuschagne. Glenn Maxwell then added the finishing touches with his 29-ball 63.
In response, the openers - Mayank Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan - got India off to a promising start with yet another half-century partnership. But both departed successively. India lost Shreyas Iyer shortly after, but Kohli remained the key in the chase with his 102nd fifty-plus score in the format in his 250th ODI appearance.
