In a remarkable display of batting prowess, Indian cricketer Virat Kohli surpassed the legendary Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene in the esteemed list of international cricket’s all-time leading run-scorers. This significant milestone was reached during his impressive unbeaten century performance in the ICC World Cup 2023 match between India and Bangladesh.
Bangladesh won the coin toss and elected to set the target by batting first. Najmul Hossain Shanto took control of the Bangladesh team, standing in for the injured Shakib Al Hasan.
Tanzid Hasan and Litton Das, the opening combination, set the stage on fire with a superb partnership of 93 runs. Nevertheless, Bangladesh had some stumbling blocks as they lost both their openers and Najmul Shanto and Mehidy Hasan, who could only muster 8 and 3 runs, respectively. Mushfiqur Rahim contributed 38 runs before being caught by Ravindra Jadeja at backward point.
But the persistent efforts of Nasum Ahmed and Mahmudullah, who drove their way to 46 runs, ornamented with three boundaries and three soaring sixes, steered Bangladesh to 256/8 after their 50 overs at the crease. On the other side, India’s Mohammed Siraj, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah each clinched two wickets during the encounter.
India got off to a wonderful start courtesy to the brilliant performance of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. Gill began conservatively while Rohit took on the bowlers energetically, notching up 48 runs from 40 balls, including 7 boundaries and 2 sixes. Conversely, Gill achieved his first-ever World Cup fifty, scoring 53 runs with 5 fours and 2 sixes.
After the departure of these two batters, Virat Kohli took over and created a valuable partnership with Shreyas Iyer, who contributed 19 runs. Later, he teamed forces with KL Rahul (34*) to carry the team to victory. Kohli’s drive to get his century was clear as he turned down easy singles.
In the 42nd over, Kohli sealed the deal with a six, completing his 48th ODI century in 97 deliveries, which contained six fours and four sixes. India secured a convincing seven-wicket win with 51 balls to spare.
Also Read: Fans Gone Crazy As KING KOHLI Hits His 48th ODI Century With A Six
During his remarkable innings, Virat Kohli overcame Mahela Jayawardene to capture the fourth spot on the list of most run-scorers in international cricket. Jayawardene had accumulated 25,957 runs in 652 appearances for Sri Lanka between 1997 and 2015.
With this century, Kohli’s record now stands at 26,026 runs in 511 matches, keeping an excellent average of 53.99 and having 78 hundreds.
Here is the list of the top five highest run-getters in international cricket:
1. Sachin Tendulkar- 34357 runs in 664 matches
2. Kumar Sangakkara- 28016 runs in 594 matches
3. Ricky Ponting- 27483 runs in 560 matches
4. Virat Kohli- 26026 runs in 511 matches
5. Mahela Jayawardene– 25957 runs in 652 matches
