3 fastest 150s by an Indian in men's ODIs ft Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli was back to breaking ODI records on Sunday, January 15, as he smashed a quickfire 166 off 110 balls against Sri Lanka at Trivandrum's Greenfield Stadium.
This was his fifth 150+ score - the most by any non-opener in the format. Batting with absolute ease, he reached his 150 off just 106 balls and broke former Australian captain George Bailey's 10-year-old record of the fastest 150 in India.
He achieved the milestone in 109 balls at Nagpur in 2013. Interestingly, India still won that match and Kohli was the Man of the Match for his superb 115* (66).
However, Kohli's 150 in Trivandrum wasn't the fastest by an Indian batter in ODIs. Below, we'll look at the five fastest 150s by Indians in the country's ODI history.
Ishan Kishan against Bangladesh in 2022 (103 balls)
The chart-topper came only a few weeks ago. Left-handed opener Ishan Kishan, who's not a regular in the ODI side, replaced the injured Rohit Sharma in the final of the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh. India had already lost the series but the youngster had the rare opportunity to prove himself ahead of the 2023 World Cup.
He smashed a scintillating double century - 210 off 131 balls - brutally clearing the boundaries against everything that Bangladeshi bowlers threw at him. He reached his 150 in that match off just 103 balls and his scoring pace only increased after that. The 24-year-old collected 24 boundaries and 10 sixes in total.
However, he had to make way for Shubman Gill in India's next ODI as India considered dropping the latter as unfair. Kishan is now being seen as a middle-order option for the ODI series against New Zealand in KL Rahul's absence.
Virat Kohli against Sri Lanka in 2023 (106 balls)
Kohli's aforementioned 150 is the second-fastest by an Indian in ODIs. The talisman right-hander also broke the record for the most ODI centuries in India.
It was his 21st, beating Sachin Tendulkar's 20. The former captain also became the fifth-highest run-scorer ever in the format, with his 12,754 beating Mahela Jayawardene by 104.
Virender Sehwag against West Indies in 2011 (112 balls)
It is almost impossible to keep Virender Sehwag out of such lists.
The swashbuckling opener recorded a 112-ball 150 on his way to his famous double century against West Indies in Indore in December 2011. Batting first, his 219 (149) helped India reach 418/5 in 50 overs and win the match by 153 runs.
At the time, a double-century from him almost seemed like it was around the corner, despite there being only one - Tendulkar - to have reached the mark before him. His free-flowing style helped him get 25 fours and seven sixes, most of them behind the square.