The India's batting duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli clocked a historic milestone in the first ODI against South Africa. They became the pair to feature in the most international matches together for India, officially surpassing the long-standing record held by legendary cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. This achievement came as they returned to action on home soil at the Jharkhand Cricket Association Stadium, their first home game together in 291 days.
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma shatter Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid's colossal record
The game began with South Africa's captain, Aiden Markram, winning the toss and electing to bowl first. India's innings started with Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal opening, but Jaiswal departed cheaply, bringing Virat Kohli to the crease at number three to join Sharma. This fixture marked the 392nd international game across all formats in which Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli played together in the same Indian playing XI. No other pair of Indian cricketers has shared the field in more matches together.
The duo’s 392nd appearance saw them officially eclipse the previous record of 391 international matches set by Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. Following them on the list is another famed pair, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, who featured together in 369 international fixtures for India. This milestone is particularly poignant for fans as both Rohit and Virat have recently announced their retirement from Test and T20 international formats, making this continuation of their journey together in ODI cricket even more special.
Indian batting duo with most matches played together:
| Rank | Indian Pair | Matches Played Together | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virat Kohli - Rohit Sharma | 392* | Active |
| 2 | Sachin Tendulkar - Rahul Dravid | 391 | Retired |
| 3 | Sourav Ganguly - Rahul Dravid | 369 | Retired |
| 4 | Sachin Tendulkar - Anil Kumble | 367 | Retired |
| 5 | Sachin Tendulkar - Sourav Ganguly | 341 | Retired |
Rohit and Virat have been central figures in the Indian cricket setup for over a decade, representing a remarkable era of consistency and success. Rohit made his international debut in 2007, followed by Virat in 2008. Notably, Rohit was already part of the playing XI when Virat stepped onto the field for his inaugural international match, an ODI against Sri Lanka. Throughout their illustrious careers, the two modern greats have consistently shared the field across all three formats of the game. Their combined appearances are extensive, including 60 Tests, 226 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 106 T20 Internationals.
While Rohit ended up scoring a robust 51-ball 57, Virat cracked a superlative century to notch his 52nd ODI ton.
India's Playing XI:
Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Washington Sundar, KL Rahul(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna
South Africa's Playing XI:
Ryan Rickelton, Quinton de Kock(w), Aiden Markram(c), Matthew Breetzke, Tony de Zorzi, Dewald Brevis, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Prenelan Subrayen, Nandre Burger, Ottneil Baartman