Virat Kohli Poised for Historic ODI Milestone Against New Zealand
Kohli on the Verge of a Milestone
Indian cricket star Virat Kohli is just one impressive performance away from reaching a remarkable milestone as the team faces New Zealand in the second ODI at Rajkot on Wednesday. The 37-year-old batsman is in exceptional form, having recorded five consecutive fifty-plus scores in ODI matches. This impressive streak began during the final ODI against Australia in Sydney and continued with a stellar 93 runs off 91 balls in the first ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara, featuring eight boundaries and a six. Kohli's aggressive batting style has kept him in a commanding position throughout.
Currently, Kohli is tied with cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma, and Ajinkya Rahane, each having achieved five successive fifty-plus scores in ODIs. A single half-century in the upcoming match would make him the first Indian player to achieve six consecutive fifty-plus scores.
Global Record Holders
On the international stage, Pakistan's Javed Miandad holds the record with nine consecutive fifty-plus scores, followed by Imam-ul-Haq with seven. Other notable players, including Kane Williamson, Shai Hope, Babar Azam, Paul Stirling, Ross Taylor, and Chris Gayle, have each recorded six successive fifty-plus scores in ODIs.
Kohli's Recent Performance Overview
In his last five ODIs, Kohli has amassed 469 runs, boasting an impressive average of 156.33, which includes two centuries and three fifties. When considering his two matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Delhi, where he scored 131 and 77, Kohli has achieved seven consecutive fifty-plus scores in List-A cricket. Over these seven innings, he has accumulated 677 runs at an average of 135.4, featuring three centuries and four fifties.
Team Lineups
India Squad: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul(w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Ayush Badoni, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel.
New Zealand Squad: Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay(w), Michael Bracewell(c), Zakary Foulkes, Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Adithya Ashok, Jayden Lennox, Nick Kelly, Josh Clarkson, Michael Rae.