Indian skipper Virat Kohli’s Bradmanesque feat

Virat Kohli saw India through another chase against West Indies in the fifth and final ODI. By virtue of his unbeaten 111, Kohli broke a few records. Firstly, he registered his 18th ton in a chase which helped him surpass Tendulkar’s world record of 17. Secondly, he equalled Sanath Jayasuriya’s tally of 28 ODI centuries to become the joint-third most hundreds scorer in ODI cricket behind only Sachin Tendulkar (49) and Ricky Ponting (30).

There is another record he created which many people are oblivious to. Because of his majestic unbeaten hundred, Kohli’s ODI batting average surged to 54.68, which is the highest in 50-over cricket for batsmen who have scored more than 1600 runs in the format. Like the great Donald Bradman, who averaged 99.94 in Tests which still stands a world record, Kohli is head and shoulders above his contemporaries. The next best average amongst active cricketers is AB de Villiers, who averages 53.55.

Interestingly, Kohli also leads the average charts in T20 cricket. His average in the shortest format is 53.40, more than 13 points higher than the next best Joe Root.

India made 206 look like an easy target. They were equal to the task and completed the formalities with 79 balls to spare, a stark contrast to Antigua where they lingered on a chase of 190 to eventually lose the game in the end. Dinesh Karthik too provided the finishing touches alongside his skipper to remain unbeaten on a spry 50*.

Ajinkya Rahane laid the foundation with a solid 39 before he was trapped leg before the wicket by Bishoo. The right hander’s crisp form helped him win the Player of the Series award. He again contributed to the win, adding a crucial 79-run stand with his captain after Dhawan was dismissed for his third consecutive low score in the series.

Indian bowlers were in great form in the entire series. Shami, playing in his only second game in two years, was the pick of the bowlers as he returned with 4/48 off his 10 overs. Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav didn’t pick any wickets but squeezed the batsmen for runs as they gave away just 63 runs in 20 overs between themselves.