cricket

Updated: Mar 01, 2019 08:25 IST

India skipper Virat Kohli was once again at his majestic best during the second and final T20I against Australia at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Despite Kohli’s heroics, Indian bowlers failed to defend a big score lost the match by seven wickets to lose the series 0-2.

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Kohli slammed his 20th T20I half-century and in doing so, he joined Rohit Sharma at the top of an elite list. Kohli and Rohit are joint top in the list of most fifty+ scores in the shortest format of the game. Rohit has 16 half-centuries and four centuries to his name in T20Is.

Also, Kohli now holds the record of most four hit in T20Is. The swashbuckling India batsman is tied at the top with former Sri Lanka cricketer Tilakratne Dilshan with 223 fours each. Rohit stands at number four with 207 boundaries to his name.

223 in 80 matches: Tilakratne Dilshan (SL)

223 in 67 matches: Virat Kohli (IND)

218 in 65 matches: Mohammad Shahzad (AFG)

207 in 94 matches: Rohit Sharma (IND)

200 in 76 matches: Martin Guptill (200)

Kohli’s unbeaten 72 also helped him take the second spot in the list of highest-scores at this venue. Kohli’s score is only bettered by Windies hard-hitter Andre Fletcher.

After the end of the match, Kohli conceded that Australia completely “outplayed” the hosts in the two-match T20 series and specially praised Glenn Maxwell for his marauding match-winning knock in Bengaluru.

Also Read: We were outplayed in all departments - Virat Kohli

Maxwell fired Australia to their maiden T20 series win over India with a sensational hundred, overshadowing India skipper Kohli’s (72 off 38) special effort. Maxwell (113 not out off 55 balls) went on a rampage, smashing as many as nine sixes on way to his third century in the shortest format.

He took the game away from India, who should have defended 190 for four after Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni shared a 100-run stand for the fourth wicket.