Virat Kohli in line to break MS Dhoni's record in 3rd ODI in Bengaluru

When it comes to ODI cricket, captain of India Virat Kohli does not chase records but records chase him. India and Australia will lock horns against each other in the decider of the three-match ODI series at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday. Since getting the captaincy from MS Dhoni, Kohli has broken several records as a batsman and as a captain. The captain of India likes the big stage and challenges and is on his way to break yet another record.

Kohli who so far has scored 4983 runs in 81 innings at an average of more than 77 is just 17 runs away from becoming the fastest captain to reach 5000 runs in ODI Cricket. Former India skipper MS Dhoni currently holds the record as he reached 5000 runs in 127 innings, followed by Ricky Ponting (131 innings) and Graeme Smith (135 innings).

Virat Kohli is currently the top-ranked ODI batsman

After reaching the milestone, Kohli will become the fourth Indian captain to score 5000 as captain after Mohammad Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni. Dhoni has scored the most runs as Indian captain with 6641 runs followed by Azharuddin with 5239 runs and Ganguly who scored 5104 runs. Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting holds the record for scoring most runs in ODI cricket in the world with 8497 runs.

In the two matches played so far in the series, Kohli has scored 16 and 78 runs respectively. In the second ODI at Rajkot, Kohli batted at his usual position of number 3 and his brilliant half-century helped India post a mammoth total of 340 runs on the board. India levelled the series at 1-1, and now it’s all to play for on Sunday at Bengaluru.

Australia who went on to win the series 3-2 last year, will be looking to achieve a rare feat of winning back to back ODI series in India. The hosts on the other end will be looking to win the last match and win the series 2-1.

Kohli who at present is also the number 1 ranked batsman in the ICC ranking, will be looking at solidifying his position ahead of Indian vice-captain Rohit Sharma who is at second place. Kohli has scored 94 runs in the two matches in the series, and the Indian captain will be looking to score big and help his side win yet another series at home.

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