By now, everybody is aware of the fact that Virat Kohli is destined for greatness. The captain of the Indian cricket team burst onto the scene as a young, aggressive batsman but has now evolved into one of the modern greats of the game.
Right from the get go, Virat has been smashing records with many claiming he is the successor to the Master Sachin Tendulkar.
Stats never lie and if they are anything to go by, Virat Kohli looks to have at least another decade of excellence still alive in him. Here are ten of the most amazing stats about Virat Kohli:
Most centuries while chasing:
Virat Kohli is already known as the Chase Master because of his ability to finish off games. He has a fantastic record while chasing and his total of 18 centuries while chasing just proves his ability to soak in pressure and calculate what is required in the middle. Also, Virat broke the record in just 102 matches compared to Sachin’s 232 matches.
Superb average while chasing:
Virat Kohli has one of the best ever averages for any batsmen in ODI history when it comes to chasing. His mind-boggling 100.02 means that he scores a century almost every match while chasing and he is also the third highest run-scorer while chasing, just behind Ricky Ponting and Sachin.
Second fastest to 25 centuries:
Virat Kohli holds the record for the second fastest to the coveted milestone of 25 centuries. He achieved the feat in just 162 innings, falling just behind Hashim Amla, who reached it in 151 innings.
Fastest to 8000 runs:
Kohli is the fastest man to reach 8000 ODI runs, having achieved it in just 175 innings. Only Hashim Amla has any chance of breaking the record, with him needing 814 runs in 21 ODI to catch up with Virat.
Joint number 2 with Ricky Ponting in the list of most ODI hundreds
Virat Kohli scored his 30th ODI hundred in the series against Sri Lanka and equalled Ricky Ponting’s record. While Ponting finished with 30 hundreds from 375 matches, Kohli reached his 30th ton in only 195 matches.
First to score triple centuries back to back:
In Tests, Kohli is the first batsman to get three centuries back to back as a captain. He achieved the record after following his dual centuries in Adelaide with a 140 in Sydney, to prove his credentials as a serious Test batsman as well.
Third highest Test average of all time:
Virat Kohli’s average of 59.53 as a captain with more than 2000 runs means that he is just behind the great Don Bradman and current Australian skipper Steven Smith for the highest average.
Second most centuries at number 4:
Batting at Number 4 is a very crucial position because it is the anchor that ties the top order with the middle. Kohli holds the record for the second most number of centuries (10) at number 4, with 10, tied with Brian Lara and behind Mahela Jayawardene who has 14.
First to score four double centuries on a trot:
Virat Kohli is the first man in the history of Test cricket to smash four double centuries on a trot. This insane record means that he went past the greats Rahul Dravid and Don Bradman to stand alone at the pinnacle.
First man to have an average above 50 across all three formats of the game:
On 11 Dec, 2016, Virat Kohli became the first man in history to have an average above 50 across all formats of the game. Such a record has never been achieved and Kohli will look to hold it for years to come.
By Rohit Nair
