India vs Australia 2020: Virat Kohli fastest to score 5,000 ODI runs as captain
What's the story?
Indian captain Virat Kohli has become the fastest player to score 5,000 ODI runs as captain. The right-handed batsman from Delhi achieved this feat in the ongoing third ODI match against Australia.
The background
Virat Kohli has been one of the most consistent players in the cricketing world. He has already amassed over 20,000 runs in international cricket and the 31-year-old also has scored 70 international hundreds. Kohli took over the reins of the Indian ODI team in 2017 after MS Dhoni relinquished the captain's position. BCCI had already elected him as the Test captain in 2015 and two years later, he became the full-time ODI skipper of the Indian team.
The heart of the matter
Batting against Australia in the third ODI match in Bengaluru, Virat Kohli surpassed the 5,000-run milestone as ODI captain. Kohli broke MS Dhoni's record, who had breached this landmark in his 127th ODI innings. The next three captains on this list are Ricky Ponting (131 innings), Graeme Smith (135 innings), and Sourav Ganguly (136 innings).
Earlier this month, the Indian captain had become the fastest skipper to score 11,000 international runs.
Apart from Kohli, the Men in Blue's vice-captain, Rohit Sharma, also achieved a personal milestone in the game, becoming the third-fastest batsman to score 9,000 runs in ODI cricket.
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What's next?
After electing to bat first on the flat track at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Australia set a target of 287 runs for the Indian team. Rohit Sharma's century and Virat Kohli's fifty have ensured that the home side has the upper hand in the run chase but they still need 79 runs off 12.5 overs to win the match and seal the series.
Will India be able to win the three-match ODI series? Share your views in the comment box below.