India emerged triumphant over Afghanistan in the second T20 International of their three-match encounter this past Sunday, January 14th. Delivering a blistering chase, the team successfully hunted down a competitive target of 173 runs amidst the backdrop of Indore’s batting-friendly pitch, concluding the pursuit within a mere 16 overs. This victory, by an impressive margin, also ensured a series win for India, now standing at 2-0 with a game to spare.
Amidst the energetic performances, it was young Yashasvi Jaiswal and the mighty Shivam Dube who captured the spotlight with their chase-catalyzing innings. However, adding to the chorus of acclaim, was none other than the cricketing maestro Virat Kohli. Making a much-anticipated return to the T20 format after a hiatus of 14 months, Kohli contributed a rapid 29 runs from 16 balls, embellishing his brief yet impactful stay at the crease with five boundaries.
That evening, Kohli etched his name in cricketing annals, sprinting past the 2000-run mark in T20I chases – a feat yet to be mirrored by any other cricketer. This achievement crowned Kohli as the first and only cricketer to have surpassed the two-thousand-run threshold batting second across all the major formats of the game – an ode to his chasing finesse. In Tests, Kohli’s run-chase tallies incorporate performances from both the second and fourth innings.
The statistics are a testament to Kohli’s chasing mastery. In T20 Internationals, he boasts 2012 runs across 46 innings, averaging an imposing 71.85 coupled with a strike rate of 136.96, including 20 fifties. Shifting focus to One-Day Internationals (ODIs), Kohli’s record is equally stellar. He has amassed 7794 runs in 152 innings at an average of 65.49, striking at 93.64 with an impressive collection of 27 centuries and 40 half-centuries to his name while batting second.
The 35-year-old veteran, though yet to ignite the stage with a performance that harks back to his times of absolute dominance, has nevertheless managed to compile 4096 runs in 74 innings with a compelling average of 59.36 across all formats. His fourth-innings records alone showcase 1036 runs from 27 innings averaging 45.04, featuring two centuries and seven half-centuries.
Despite his storied career, Kohli, fresh from his sabbatical and rejoining the fray, might feel that the stage at Indore was not fully set ablaze with his return. Nevertheless, opportunities are plenty – the final T20I against Afghanistan beckons, scheduled at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, a venue synonymous with Kohli due to his Indian Premier League (IPL) heroics. Kohli will undoubtedly be keen to mark this home ground return with at least a half-century when the teams face off on January 17th.
In the broader realm of cricket, other engaging stories continue to unfold. Sachin Tendulkar has recently found himself clearing the air of fake news associated with his daughter Sara. The domestic circuit talked of Karnataka’s Prakhar Chaturvedi who emulated Brian Lara’s marathon batting by hitting an unbeaten 404* in the final of the Cooch Behar Trophy. Amidst these narratives, there’s also the development of Kane Williamson’s injury saga – the New Zealand captain likely to miss the last three T20Is against Pakistan.
As the cricketing world eagerly waits for the series finale in Bengaluru, all eyes will be on Virat Kohli – a man whose pursuit of excellence never wanes, a player whose bat speaks volumes, and an icon who continues to inscribe his legacy one chase at a time.
