The current Indian skipper and the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore as well, Virat Kohli can be considered to be a modern day legend. Having played the game in a unique fashion he holds a number of records to his name. Just like Kohli and other great cricketers, it is now possible for you to make your own highlight.
While the addition of Kohli makes a team strong, his team does not always win. The world of cricket is rather exciting now, with online betting and match highlights and this is exacerbated by match predictions of the most breathtaking fixtures in the game. With formats like T20, matches are more random than ever before, making online betting a rather exciting process, much like knowing more about favourites like Kohli.
These are what we think records even Virat Kohli cannot break:
1) Best batting average in the world
This record is held by the legend himself, Sir Don Bradman, at 99.94. With an average score of a century per match, modern cricket standards make it impossible for anyone, let alone Kohli to make this possible. Bradman played at a time when long drawn out test matches were the norm, giving him enough time to score runs, while playing it safe and not losing his wicket, unlike the T20 format Kohli plays in. Moreover, the only competitions Bradman had were from teams such as England, New Zealand and South Africa, which isn’t much. This coupled with the fact that in the era of slow cameras and non televised cricket, last moment run-outs, legitimate LBWs, etc. were probably missed by umpires, means Kohli, with his average of 60.31 in 239 ODIs will surely not beat Sir Bradman’s record.
2) Most sixes in international cricket
Shahid Afridi with a total of 476 sixes holds the record for the most sixes in international cricket. Afridi was, like Yusuf Pathan, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, etc. what you might call a brute or a power player. He loved to go for the big shots, with sheer power, sending balls off the stadium.
Kohli on the other hand, much like Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Adam Gilchrist, etc. is a technical player who likes to keep his boundaries grounded. He does not like to take unnecessary risks, and instead times his shots perfectly, slipping them through gaps for those sweet 4s. Thus, with a total of 162 sixes so far, there is a very low probability for him to beat Afridi’s record.
3) Highest runs in a test match:
The legendary Brian Lara holds the record of scoring 400 runs in a test match against England, in St. John’s on 12th April, 2004, beating Mathew Hayden’s 380 against Zimbabwe, who in turn had beaten Lara’s previous record of 375. The only player to come even partially close, from India, was Virendar Sehwag, with is 300.
Kohli isn’t a man of the records, as much as he is a team player. He would rather have his team win than set up a personal record. Additionally, Kohli test matches are a rare occurrence in modern cricket. Moreover, with an aggressive attitude such as his, it is futile to think he would have the patience to pull through to 400 runs in a long drawn out test match. Thus, Lara’s record seems to be a distant reality for Kohli for now.
4) Fastest ODI century:
Who else would hold this record, than Kohli’s own RCB opening partner, AB de Villiers, at 31 balls? He slammed his 100 off 31 against West Indies in January 2015.
The point of having a Kohli-de Villiers opening combination is so that Kohli, in his usual style, can build up a consistent innings, while de Villiers can go for the big shots, thus giving RCB a great score from the openers themselves. This coupled with the fact that such power play is reminiscent of T20s alone, and is not seen in ODIs, and that Kohli does not open for India in T20s, makes it highly improbable for Kohli to beat his partner’s record.
5) Most International 50s:
Who else to conclude our list with, than Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar? India has seen many greats, like Kapil Dev, MS Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly, etc. but no one is as revered as the God of cricket himself, who holds the record for 164 international 50s.
The problem with Kohli isn’t incapability, it is over-capability. His conversion rate has been incredible, and he classically hit more centuries than half centuries. Thus, on a given day, he would probably end up scoring a perfect hundred once he has crossed his 50, making it impossible for him to beat Tendulkar’s record.
Seems like some records are never meant to be broken, but Kohli’s always been a man that accepts challenges. Only time will tell whether he is able to smash a few of these records.