Virat Kohli Aims for Historic Hat-Trick in Final ODI Against South Africa
Final ODI Showdown in Visakhapatnam
The concluding ODI between India and South Africa is set to unfold at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. This venue has been particularly favorable for Indian cricket star Virat Kohli, who is on the verge of achieving a remarkable hat-trick of centuries in this series.
With the series tied at 1-1, the third ODI will see Kohli, who has amassed 237 runs so far, including a spectacular 135 off 120 balls in Ranchi and a more measured 102 off 93 balls in Raipur, aiming to secure his third consecutive century.
Should Kohli succeed, he would become the first Indian player to achieve two hat-tricks of ODI centuries, following in the footsteps of Pakistan's Babar Azam. Kohli previously accomplished this feat against the West Indies in 2018, scoring 140, 157*, and 107 in his first three ODIs, ultimately earning the title of 'Player of the Series' with 453 runs at an impressive average of 151.00.
At this venue, Kohli has scored a total of 587 runs in seven innings, boasting an average of 97.83 and a strike rate of 100.34, which includes three centuries and two fifties, with a top score of 157*. This is his highest run tally at any Indian ground.
One of Kohli's most memorable performances in Visakhapatnam occurred in 2010 when, at just 21 years old, he played a crucial innings of 118 runs off 121 balls, hitting 11 fours and a six, helping India chase down a target of 290 against Australia after a shaky start at 35/2.
Currently, Kohli is just 90 runs shy of joining the elite club of cricketers who have scored 28,000 runs in international cricket, alongside legends Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara. Over 555 international matches, he has accumulated 27,910 runs at an average of 52.46, including 84 centuries and 144 fifties, with a personal best of 254*.
In the current year, Kohli has played 12 ODIs, scoring 586 runs at an average of 58.60 and a strike rate of 92.72, featuring three centuries and three fifties, with a highest score of 135.
Squads for the match are as follows:
India Squad: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul(w/c), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant, Tilak Varma, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy.
South Africa Squad: Aiden Markram, Quinton de Kock(w), Temba Bavuma(c), Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi, Ryan Rickelton, Ottneil Baartman, Rubin Hermann, Prenelan Subrayen.