3 Records Virat Kohli Can Break In The ODI Series Against New Zealand: After dominating the T20I series, it is time to focus on a slightly bigger format as the three-match ODI series between India and New Zealand starts from Wednesday at Hamilton. The T20I series was completely dominated by the touring side as they completed a 5-0 whitewash on the hosts.
This is the first time that a team has won a T20I series by a margin of 5-0. The Kiwis weren’t at their full strength but still, nobody expected such a poor performance from the Blackcaps. India will look to continue the momentum in the ODI series, whereas New Zealand will look for a turnaround with the return of their captain Kane Williamson.
Whenever there is a talk about the ODI format, you have to talk about the Indian captain. Virat Kohli is currently the No.1 ranked batsman in this format and he is by far the best in ODI cricket. He has already broken a plethora of records but whenever a new series starts, he always has the chance to break some more. So, on that note, let’s have a look at three records that the Indian captain can break in this series.
Fastest to 12,000 ODI runs
Virat Kohli has currently scored 11,792 runs in 236 innings at an average of 59.86. The Indian captain is just 208 runs short of reaching the 12000-run mark and he has a golden chance of reaching it in this series.
India’s most celebrated batsman, Sachin Tendulkar currently holds the record for being the fastest to reach this mark. The Little Master reached the landmark in exactly 300 innings. Kohli has 63 more innings to break this record. It is inevitable that Kohli will break this record but it will be interesting to see if he can do it in this three-match ODI series.
Most centuries as ODI captain
Virat Kohli currently has scored 43 ODI centuries out of which 21 are as captain. Almost half of his centuries have come as the Indian captain which is a great thing. The record for most centuries as ODI captain is currently held by the Australian legend – Ricky Ponting.
In his overall career, he scored 30 centuries out of which 22 came as captain. The Indian skipper is just two centuries away and we all know that Kohli scores centuries for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If Kohli scores two centuries in this series then at the end of the series he will hold the record for the most centuries as ODI captain.
Most centuries as International captain
Once again there is a tussle between the Indian captain and the Australian legend for this record. South Africa’s Graeme Smith is third on this list with 33 centuries to his name as the captain of the Proteas.
Ricky Ponting and Virat Kohli are currently tied on this list with both having 41 centuries to his name. Kohli just needs one more century to make this record his own. Kohli currently has 21 ODI centuries and 20 Test centuries as captain. This is a three-match series, so there is a high chance that Kohli will hit at least one century and make this record his own.
