‘KING KOHLI’ HITS FASTEST 10K ODI RUNS
India skipper surpasses compatriot Tendulkar’s 2001 mark
India skipper Virat Kohli became the fastest-ever batsman to reach 10,000 one-day international runs, making history in his 205th innings against the West Indies in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.
The 29-year-old surpassed fellow Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar, who first crossed the 10,000-run mark in 259 innings in 2001.
Kohli, playing his 213th ODI, went on to score 157 off 129 deliveries to register his 37th ODI century since making his debut against Sri Lanka in 2008.
He reached the 10,000 milestone with a single off spinner Ashley Nurse, then hit Marlon Samuels for a boundary to get his second successive ton of the five-match series.
“The intensity and consistency with which you bat is just amazing. @imVkohli, congratulations on achieving 10,000 runs in ODIs. Keep the runs flowing,” Tendulkar wrote on Twitter.
He is just the 13th batsman, and fifth Indian, to join the elite list.
Kohli received a clap on the back from batting partner Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who himself breached the 10,000 threshold in July.
Cricket analyst Freddie Wilde likened the speed of Kohli’s 10,000 feat to shaving seconds from Usain Bolt’s 100 metre world-record time.
“King Kohli“, as he is known in the Indian press, was dropped on 44 by his opposite number Jason Holder off debutant Obed McCoy, after electing to bat first.
The star batsman smashed 13 fours and four sixes as he went past 1,000 runs in 11 one-day matches this year.
Kohli’s knock helped India post 321-6 but the match ended in a tie.