Virat Kohli has had a great time playing against Sri Lanka, particularly in one-day international (ODI) matches. He has scored 2632 runs in only 53 innings, with an impressive average of 61.2. He has hit 10 centuries and 12 half-centuries. But in the current series, Kohli hasn’t shown his usual strength, scoring just 24 and 14 runs in two games.
This is unusual for the former Indian team captain, who usually performs well against Sri Lanka. In both matches, Sri Lanka took advantage of Kohli’s performance after Rohit Sharma was dismissed, leading to a decline in the Indian team’s performance. The third and final ODI gives Kohli one last chance to shine against Sri Lanka while aiming to break two significant records held by Sachin Tendulkar at the international level.
Kohli needs just 78 more runs to reach 27,000 runs in international cricket, which is a huge achievement. Only three other players have reached this incredible milestone before him: Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakkara, and Ricky Ponting, who are all legends in the sport.
Most runs in international cricket:
Sachin Tendulkar – 34357 runs
Kumar Sangakkara – 28016 runs
Ricky Ponting – 27483 runs
Virat Kohli – 26922 runs
Will Kohli return to form in the third ODI?
Virat Kohli has been playing very well in the first two games. However, he has been facing difficulties with leg-spin bowlers like Wanindu Hasaranga and Jeffrey Vandersay, who have often stopped him from scoring. Kohli usually scores big in one-day international (ODI) series, and he is eager to hit a century in the third and last ODI on August 7 (Wednesday). If he achieves this, the 35-year-old will reach 14000 runs in the 50-over format.
Kohli needs 114 more runs to reach this milestone and become the quickest player to 14000 runs in ODI cricket. Only Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara have done this before, in 350 and 378 innings respectively. Kohli has played 282 innings for India in this format so far.
