Virat Kohli’s white ball supremacy continues as he climbs Mount 15K
Indian batter Virat Kohli scored his 55th century in One-Day Internationals (ODI’s) against West Indies in the ongoing India vs West Indies ODI bilateral series but he also reached another landmark. The former India captain became the second-highest scorer in ODI’s after the legendary Sachin Tendulkar after crossing the 15,000 runs mark.
Virat Kohli has been the standout batter in the world when it comes to ODI cricket. He has been one of the best of his generation and even at 37-years-old, the Indian batter still continues to perform at the highest level and in the most clutch moments.
Here we look at some of the stats from his climb to Mount 15K –
He is also the quickest in terms of balls faced, reaching the milestone in 15,950 balls while Sachin reached 15K runs in 17, 528 balls.
He has also scored the most runs (7006 runs) in India, overtaking Tendulkar’s 6976 runs.
He has the joint-highest hundreds (10) against a single opponent now having scored his 10th hundred against West Indies. He equalled his own record of 10 centuries against Sri Lanka.
Virat Kohli has scored hundreds for fun since he started playing international cricket. Kohli has more than 80 international hundreds in all formats. However, the batting maestro went through a lean period between November 2019 and September 2022 where he endured a century drought for 84 innings. There were talks of decline with age from former players and fans but that’s the difference between greatness and good players. Great players learn from setbacks, constantly improve and reinvent themselves and that’s what Kohli has done beautifully. Kohli had a good strike-rate but with the game moving towards slam-bang hitting, he has transformed his game and stays aggressive from the very first ball. He keeps the scoreboard moving at a fast rate and keeps the bowler under pressure at all times in the innings. His game awareness during a chase is still top-notch and he can still guide the team home with ease but he has now started scoring more from fours and sixes than playing it safe. This transformation has made him even more dangerous and lethal – warning signs for the opposition teams.
Having won almost every major ICC tournament already, he is playing without much pressure. He also looks fitter and maintains the same hunger and mentality that has seen him become one of the greats of his era. He has been relentlessly consistent in the last 10 innings scoring – 139*, 74, 65, 5, 124, 23, 93, 102, 135 and 74*. His last 1000 runs have come in quick-time. It only took him 16 innings with a massive average of 81.69 and an improved strike rate of 107.93 with five hundreds and 6 fifties. This shows that not only is he scoring runs freely, he has also upped the ante, scoring runs quickly now, which takes the stress of scoring boundaries or sixes away from his batting partner and keeps the opposition under pressure.
With the 2027 ODI World Cup commencing next year, this incredible form will be key for India as they need their most experienced batters firing to have a chance at the title. Virat Kohli would want to erase the pain of the 2023 ODI World Cup final loss and maybe bid adieu to international cricket on a high. It’s simply amazing to see a player have the same passion and hunger to perform even when he is about to leave the sport.
Virat Kohli is an absolute phenomenon in modern day sport, and when he does announce his retirement, there will undoubtedly be plenty of teary-eyed fans. For now, though, we can continue to savour the magic of this batting maestro and create even more unforgettable memories of his incredible performances in the Indian Blues.
