cricket

Updated: Aug 13, 2019 08:32 IST

Virat Kohli was at his fluent best on Sunday as the Indian cricket team skipper scored a brilliant hundred to guide his team to victory against West Indies in the second ODI encounter in Port of Spain. Kohli, who scored 120 off 125 deliveries, looked completely at ease against the Windies bowlers and he went on to score his 42nd ODI hundred with the help of 14 boundaries and one six. This was his 8th ODI century against West Indies and as a result, he became the first player in the history of the game to score eight or more hundreds against three different oppositions in ODIs. The India skipper had previously scored eight centuries against Australia and Sri Lanka.

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The record previously belonged to India legend Sachin Tendulkar who had nine centuries against Australia and eight against Sri Lanka. Thanks to his dominant performance on Sunday, Kohli also surpassed 2000 runs against West Indies, hence becoming the only Indian batsman after Tendulkar to achieve the feat against two or more oppositions. He also has more than 2000 runs against Sri Lanka. MS Dhoni (against Sri Lanka) and Rohit Sharma (against Australia) are the other Indian batsmen with more than 2000 runs against an opposition.

That was not the end of Kohli’s accolades as his knock of 120 became the highest ODI innings by any captain in the West Indies. He went past Brian Lara’s 116 which was scored against Sri Lanka at Bridgetown back in 2003.

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Kohli also surpassed the former skipper Sourav Ganguly to become India’s 2nd highest-run getter in the ODIs. In his 50-over career, Ganguly scored 11,353 runs in 311 ODIs. Kohli, playing his 238th match in the format, crossed the total during the 32nd over as he hammered Jason Holder for a third-man boundary.

Kohli’s incomparable batting form coupled with Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s four-wicket haul scripted a 59-run win for India in the rain-curtailed second ODI against the West Indies, continuing their unbeaten streak in the Caribbean.

(With agency inputs)