IND v AUS 2020: 2 records held by Sachin Tendulkar that Virat Kohli can beat and 1 he can match in the 2nd ODI
India fell to an upsetting 66-run loss at the hands of Australia in the 1st ODI, and their captain Virat Kohli could manage only 21 runs before being outthought by Josh Hazlewood.
With the series on the line tomorrow at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Kohli will want to lead from the front and force a decider. In the process, he also has the opportunity to break a few long-standing, incredible records of Indian cricket.
Here are 3 records that Indian captain Virat Kohli can break in the 2nd ODI against Australia. It must be noted that these records won't come easy, as he has to score a hundred for all three of them to be broken.
#3 Virat Kohli can become the first batsman to score 9 ODI hundreds against two different oppositions
Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar, who have scored 9 hundreds each against the West Indies and Australia respectively, hold the record for most tons against a single opposition at the moment.
If the Indian skipper manages to notch up his 44th ODI hundred, he will move level with Tendulkar as the man with the most centuries in the format against the Kangaroos. In the process, he will also become the first man to score 9 tons against two different teams in ODI cricket.
Interestingly, Kohli has scored 8 centuries against Sri Lanka as well (as has Tendulkar). Rohit Sharma, who has missed out on the limited-overs leg of the tour due to injury, has notched up 8 tons against Australia.
#2 Virat Kohli can join Sachin Tendulkar as the only two Indians to scale Mount 12,000 in ODI cricket
Virat Kohli has scored 11,888 runs in 240 ODI innings at an outstanding average of 59.14 and a strike rate of 93.26. With 43 hundreds and 58 half-centuries, he has already established himself as one of the greatest (if not the greatest) ODI player ever.
If Kohli scores 112 runs or more against Australia in the 2nd ODI, he'll join Sachin Tendulkar as the only two Indian players to have scaled Mount 12,000 in ODI cricket.
Apart from the Master Blaster, four batsmen have scored over 12,000 runs in the 50-over format - Kumar Sangakkara (14,234), Ricky Ponting (13,704), Sanath Jayasuriya (13,430) and Mahela Jayawardene (12,650). Kohli's average is by the far the best among these players, as is his strike rate.
#1 Virat Kohli can become the fastest to 12,000 runs in ODI cricket
As mentioned above, Virat Kohli can become the second Indian batsman and 6th overall to score 12,000 runs in ODI cricket. If he does so, he will absolutely shatter the record for the fastest to the milestone in the format (241 innings)
Tendulkar holds the record at the moment, and he achieved the feat in 300 innings. Ponting (314), Sangakkara (336), Jayasuriya (379) and Jayawardene (399) can't hold a candle to the Delhi batsman as well.
Even if Virat Kohli doesn't score a ton in the 2nd ODI, he'll have the same opportunities in the final game of the 3-match series. All 3 records on this list are a matter of when and not if, and we can't put it past the Indian skipper to light up the Sydney Cricket Ground for the first time in his glorious international career.