World Cup 2019: Virat Kohli, Aaron Finch could break Graeme Smith’s all-time record
What’s the story?
Indian captain Virat Kohli could become the first captain in the history of World Cup cricket to register five consecutive scores of fifty runs or more. He currently has four scores on the trot in the ongoing World Cup, and is the joint record holder along with former South African captain Graeme Smith and current Australian skipper Aaron Finch.
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Kohli has been very consistent in the tournament in England and has scored half-centuries against Australia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and West Indies. Although, he hasn’t crossed the 3-figure mark yet but his contributions have been vital in ensuring India’s unbeaten campaign.
He was adjudged the Man of the Match in India’s facile win over West Indies in Manchester on Thursday. Kohli has scores of 72, 67, 77 and 82 in his last four innings.
The heart of the matter
Kohli is currently tied with Smith who had made the scores in the 2007 edition. Finch too has been in the form of his life and already has 3 fifties and 2 hundreds to his name in this World Cup.
Finch is just 4 runs behind fellow opening partner David Warner, who is the leading run scorer of this tournament with exactly 500 runs to his name. Kohli finds himself 9th on the list, having accumulated 316 runs from just 5 innings. Finch can break Smith’s record even before Kohli if he can cross the 50-run mark in Australia’s match against rivals New Zealand on Saturday.
What’s next?
While Smith’s record will be in danger, Finch and Kohli's runs will be important to maintain the winning momentum and confidence ahead of the knockout rounds. If Finch fails to get past fifty on Saturday, Kohli will have the chance to break Smith’s record on Sunday in India’s blockbuster clash against England at Edgbaston.
Also see – India vs England head to head stats
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