Indian skipper Virat Kohli led Men in Blue to an empathic win in the second T20I against South Africa in Mohali on Wednesday. Set a target of 150 runs, Kohli’s led the team from the front smashing 72 runs of 52 deliveries. In the process, he also became the only batsman to average over 50 across all formats of the game. While there are several batsmen who have a better average than him in at least one format, none have a better average than him in all three formats.
Curing India’s run chase, Kohli bettered Rohit Sharma to top the leading run scorers list. Before the match, Sharma was on top of the list having scored 2422 runs with an average of 32.72 in 96 matches. Kohli was close second with 2369 runs with an average of 49.35. He has played 70 T20Is so far. Kohli has now taken his tally to 2434 runs from 97 games, that includes four tons.
What was more surprising is the fact that the Indian skipper received praise from former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi. “Congratulations @imVkohli You are a great player indeed, wish you continued success, keep entertaining cricket fans all around the world,” Afridi said in his Twitter post.
Congratulations @imVkohli You are a great player indeed, wish you continued success, keep entertaining cricket fans all around the world. https://t.co/OoDmlEECcu
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) September 18, 2019
During the Mohali T20, hosts restricted Proteas to 149-5. While chasing the target, Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan (40) helped the team reach the target with one over to spare. The third and final T20 of the series will be played on Sunday, September 22 in Bengaluru.
While India will try to win the match and win the series, visitors will try and square the series. The first Test between the two teams is scheduled to begin on October 2 in Visakhapatnam. The second and third Tests will be played in Pune and Ranchi on October 10 and October 19 respectively.
