T20 World Cup 2022: 5 records that Virat Kohli broke during his masterly knock of 82* against Pakistan
In what was probably his T20 career's best-ever innings so far, Virat Kohli put on a batting masterclass and guided India to a historic win against Pakistan in their opening clash of the T20 World Cup on Sunday (October 23).
In front of more than 90,000 riveted spectators at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Kohli came up with a knock for the ages and powered India to a resounding four-wicket win over the arch-rivals.
Chasing a modest total of 160, on a pitch which had an ample amount of help for the quick bowlers, India endured a worrying start. Their top-order collapsed like a pack of cards, leaving the side reeling at 31-4.
VIRAT KOHLI - THE UNDISPUTED GREATEST OF ALL TIME! 🐐💙👑
#INDvPAK #T20WorldCup #CricketTwitter https://t.co/60umJR4fBF
Alongside Hardik Pandya, Kohli was tasked with rebuilding the Indian innings and getting his side back in the game. And oh boy! He did more than just that. Holding fort for his nation under the burden of the hopes of nearly a billion fans, Kohli played a sumptuous knock of 82* from 53 balls.
He paced his innings to perfection, scoring his first 50 runs off 43 balls before unleashing his beast mode and mustering his next 33 runs in just 10 balls. While Pandya failed to accelerate in the last few overs, Kohli took charge of the opposition bowlers and displayed some magnificent strokeplay.
The former Indian skipper remained unbeaten till the end and saw his side script a remarkable win on the last ball of the innings to commence their tournament on a winning note.
The star batter shattered multiple records during his 82-run knock. Here is a compilation of the top five records broken by him on Sunday.
#1 Virat Kohli is now the first batter to score 500 runs in World Cup matches against a particular team
Kohli's outstanding 82* on Sunday earned him a unique personal milestone as he became the first-ever batter to amass 500+ runs against a particular opponent in World Cup matches.
Kohli, who had scored 419 runs against Pakistan in World Cup fixtures prior to the game, now has 501 runs against the Men in Green in World Cup matches across formats.
Virat Kohli against Pakistan in T20 World Cup:
78*(61) in 2012
36*(32) in 2014
55*(37) in 2016
57(49) in 2021
82*(53) in 2022
The man rise up in pressure. https://t.co/DxLVhorTGB
He overtook his former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) teammate AB de Villiers' record, who scored 458 World Cup runs against the West Indies in his career.
#2 Kohli's partnership of 113 runs with Pandya is now the highest stand for India against Pakistan in T20Is
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Hardik Pandya enjoyed batting with Virat Kohli in a nerve-wrecking encounter against Pakistan 💪🏻💫
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The pair of Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya bailed India out of trouble and stitched a match-winning partnership of 113 runs for the fifth wicket. Interestingly, this has now become the highest partnership for any wicket for India against Pakistan in T20Is.
The previous highest T20I partnership for India against Pakistan was between MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh. The pair piled up a 97-run stand for the fourth wicket in Ahmedabad in 2012.
#3 Kohli now has the most 50+ scores in ICC events
- What a Game of cricket we've just witnessed & this guy Virat Kohli is absolutely a Beast!!
You can not compare his class to any other player in the world in white ball cricket. He can anchor, he rotates the strike, he can hit sixes and he knows how to finish the Game! https://t.co/Ed349p0840
Virat Kohli played his first ICC tournament, the Champions Trophy, back in 2009. Since then, the Indian maestro has notched up 24 scores of 50+ in ICC events - the most by any batter in the world.
The record was previously held by another Indian legend in Sachin Tendulkar, who registered 50+ scores 23 times in ICC events. At number three on the list is Rohit Sharma with 22 50+ scores.
#4 Kohli now has the most 'Man of the Match' awards in T20Is and T20 World Cups
Virat Kohli now has most Man of the Match awards in T20Is. 👏
He left behind Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi, who has 13 MOM awards.
#ViratKohli | #T20WorldCup | #INDvPAK https://t.co/xiROWhiW3O
Expectedly, for his stupendous match-winning batting exploits, Virat Kohli was adjudged the 'Man of the Match' on Sunday. Tellingly, this was his 14th 'Man of the Match' award in T20Is, surpassing Mohammad Nabi's record of 13 such awards.
Moreover, the Player of the Match honor against Pakistan was his sixth individual award in the T20 World Cups. This is also now the most by any player in the history of the tournament.
#5 Kohli is now the highest individual run-getter in T20Is
En route to his special 82*, Virat Kohli etched another personal milestone to his name as he became the leading run-getter in the Men's T20Is.
Kohli went past fellow countryman Rohit Sharma once again, with the pair locked in a seemingly endless battle at the top of the all-time run scoring charts in the shortest format. The Delhi lad has now scored 3,794 runs in 102 innings at an immaculate average of almost 52 and a strike rate of 138.4.
Rohit, on the other hand, has fallen behind Kohli by 53 runs, having scored 3,741 runs in 135 innings.