India star Virat Kohli played a pivotal role as the team defeated Australia in its opening Cricket World Cup match. Kohli wasn’t just brilliant with the bat in the match, scoring crucial 85 runs in the chase of 201, but also emerged as a gun fielder. After the conclusion of the match, Kohli was given a special medal by India’s fielding coach TK Diliep in the dressing room. The batting icon was ecstatic to be given the honour, and in celebration, bit his medal like Olympians.
When Kohli was being handed the medal, he insisted on it being put across its neck, the way Indian athletes most recently were honoured in the Asian Games in Hangzhou. Here’s the video:
BTS from the #TeamIndia dressing room – By @28anand
A kind of first #CWC23 | #INDvAUS
And the best fielder of the match award goes to….
WATCH https://t.co/wto4ehHskB
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 9, 2023
Virat came to the crease during a tense time, with India at 2/3 during a 200-run chase. But he brought back India into the game with his 116-ball 85 runs, with six fours. He scored his runs at a strike rate of over 73, showcasing his patience. He also stitched a 165-run stand for the fourth wicket with KL Rahul.
In the 27 ODI World Cups, Virat has scored 1,115 runs at an average of 48.47 and a strike rate of above 85. He has two centuries and seven fifties in 27 innings, with the best score of 107. He is the 11th highest-scorer of all time in WCs and second-highest run-scorer for India.
Coming to the ICC Champions Trophy, he has scored 529 runs in 13 matches at an average of 88.16, with five fifties in 12 innings. His best score is 96*. He is the 11th highest-scorer in tournament history and India’s fourth.
In 27 ICC T20 World Cup matches, he has scored 1,141 runs at an average of 81.50, with 14 fifties in 25 innings and a best score of 89*. He is the highest run-scorer in the tournament’s history.
This all combines to, 2,785 runs in 67 matches and 64 innings, coming at an average of 66.30, with two centuries and 26 fifties.
Sachin on the other hand, could only play ICC Cricket World Cup and ICC Champions Trophy. He did not represent India in ICC T20 World Cups.
The Indian batting maestro is the leading run-scorer in 50-over WC history. In 45 matches and 44 innings, he scored 2,278 runs at an average of 56.95 and a strike rate of 88.98. He scored six centuries and 15 half-centuries in his WC career, with the best score of 152. He also has the most centuries in World Cup history.
Coming to the ICC Champions Trophy, Sachin scored 441 runs at an average of 36.75, with a century and fifty in 14 innings and 16 matches. His best score was 141.
In these two ICC white-ball events, he has combined 2,719 runs at an average of 52.28, with seven centuries and 16 fifties and best score of 152.
With ANI inputs
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