India's batting maestro Virat Kohli may have had a dismal start to the ODI series against Australia but he will be chasing Sachin Tendulkar's all-time white-ball record in the second match in Adelaide.
Virat Kohli on brink of breaking Sachin Tendulkar's towering record
Kohli had a disappointing return to international cricket, as he was dismissed for an eight-ball duck by Mitchell Starc in the first ODI. The second ODI between India and Australia, which is slated to be played at the Adelaide Oval on October 22, offers him a golden opportunity. This venue is notably one of Virat Kohli's favourite grounds, and he couldn't have asked for a better place to get back among the runs.
Kohli chases plethora of records in Adelaide
A strong show by Kohli in the second ODI could not only bolster his form but also set him up to break a massive record held by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. Currently, Kohli has amassed 18,368 runs in white-ball cricket, a total that includes 14,181 ODI runs and 4,188 T20I runs. He now needs just 68 more runs to surpass Tendulkar's legendary tally of 18,436 white-ball runs.
Furthermore, the second ODI's venue the Adelaide Oval, presents Kohli with an opportunity to become the first visiting batsman to score 1,000 runs at the ground across all formats. To date, he has scored 527 runs in five Test matches and 244 runs in four ODIs at Adelaide. While he needs 229 more runs to reach the 1,000-run landmark and become the first non-Australian to do so, achieving that figure in the second ODI will undoubtedly be a very stiff task.
A century by Kohli at the Adelaide Oval would be a landmark achievement, securing him the title of the first visiting batter to score six international centuries at the venue. Currently, Kohli has registered three Test and two ODI hundreds there. The century will also make him the first player in the world to hit 52 centuries in a single format, leapfrogging Tendulkar's record of 51 Test hundreds. Furthermore, it would mark his 30th overseas ton, allowing him to break Tendulkar's record for the most centuries away from home (29). Beyond the century milestone, if Kohli manages to score just 49 runs at the Adelaide Oval, he will also become the first player in the world to reach 2,500 ODI runs against Australia in 50 or fewer innings.
All eyes will be on the batting juggernaut, who, more than the milestones, will set his sights on making a crucial impact with the willow and prove his batting might once again.