5 Records that put Virat Kohli ahead of Sachin Tendulkar

Back in 2008, when an aggressive young batsman, Virat Kohli, from Delhi broke his way into the Indian ODI squad, no one would have ever believed that he would smash the world records and create a few of his own and not to forget, be compared with the great Sachin Tendulkar.

Kohli’s career has seen the highest highs and the lowest lows but the way he has carried himself on the field all these years is simply outstanding and he deserves some massive respect for that. The 30-year-old is the best player in the world at the moment and that is simply because of his work ethic and his fitness standards. While comparing anyone to the Master Blaster is a blatant sign of disrespect directed towards the legend, Virat Kohli is one such player who deserves it to the fullest.

The last 3-4 years have been Virat’s by far and his exploits on the field have earned him a lot of praise and the most delightful of them being, the comparisons drawn between him and Sachin. Sachin is a legend of the game and there shouldn’t be any doubt regarding that but as numbers don’t lie, we have made a list of 5 records that Virat Kohli made on his own that left even the great Tendulkar, behind.

First player to hit three consecutive 100s against two opponents

Virat Kohli has been in his sublime best for the past couple of years or so and needless to say, sides such as Sri Lanka and Windies had to suffer the wrath of King Kohli. Going through a transition phase is never easy and life becomes all the more difficult when you are put up against the Indian skipper.

In October 2018, Virat Kohli achieved this unique feat and became the first Indian to do so, when he compiled three successive, well-built tons against the Windies at home. Back in 2012, Virat smashed three consecutive centuries against a strong Lankan side. The special thing about Kohli is he has never taken the opposition for granted which is the reason the runs never dried for him and he reached this milestone again after six years.

It’s surprising to notice that Sachin Tendulkar never achieved such a feat in his illustrious career.

Fastest to score 1000 runs in a calendar year

2018 was Kohli’s year by a fair margin and he smashed multiple records en route his 129* knock against the Windies in the second ODI. The 30-year-old became the fastest to 1000 ODI runs in a calendar year when he achieved this in a mere 11 innings, 5 of which includes tons.

Kohli broke the previous record of 15 innings, jointly held by him and the evergreen South African batsman Hashim Amla. To achieve 1000 odd runs in 15 innings is itself a task but to achieve it in 11 innings is a herculean effort. No wonder it’s the fastest ever, by a batsman.

Visiting player with the most centuries in SA

Back in 2018, Virat Kohli landed in South Africa as a batsman with zero centuries on the South African soil when it came to ODIs but left as the visiting batsman with the joint-most number of tons (3). Only Kevin Pietersen, the former English batsman, has an equal number of centuries.

No doubt, South Africa is a tough place to bat but the 30-year-old Delhi-born Kohli made an absolute mockery of the fast and fiery Proteas pace attack.

Fastest ODI hundred for India

In 2013, the India-Australia ODI series was an absolute run-fest and India’s Virat Kohli was an integral part of it. In the 2nd ODI, Virat Kohli scored a brilliant 100 off just 52 balls at a largely impressive strike rate of 192. This innings not only helped India chase down a mammoth target of 360 but achieve it with more than 6 overs to spare.

The knock included eight fours and seven sixes. The previous record was held by the dashing Indian opener Virender Sehwag who had scored a ton in 60 balls against the New Zealand team back in 2009.

First batsman to score four consecutive 200s in 4 Test series

If 2015 was a year to forget for the 30-year-old, 2016 turned around his career, a long way. With improved fitness, Virat Kohli and India absolutely hammered England and New Zealand in the 2016 home series. Prior to the England series, Kohli scored a magnificent 200 in Antigua against the Windies in July, becoming the first captain to do so.

Against Sri Lanka, Kohli became the second batsman after Vinoo Mankad to score two double hundreds in the same series. In the first 5 years of his Test career, Kohli had no double tons to his credit but as of now, he has 6 under his belt. While Sachin Tendulkar ended his Test Career with 6 double tons, he never could score consecutive double tons in consecutive series.

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