What does the future look like for Virat Kohli? Ahead of the series against Australia, several reports claimed that it could be his last dance in international cricket, but the star batter dismissed all the claims with a match-winning partnership of 168 runs with Rohit Sharma in the final ODI of the series in Sydney. He struggled in the first two matches of the series, but returned to his best in the third ODI, scoring an unbeaten 74 runs and will be hoping to continue with the same momentum in the upcoming series against South Africa, starting November 30.
Notably, Kohli is currently just one century away from surpassing another record held by Sachin Tendulkar. In case the former India captain manages to score a ton in the series against the Proteas, Kohli can claim the record for most centuries in a single format. Both are currently tied with 51 centuries in a single format - Tendulkar in Tests and Kohli in ODIs.
Kohli vs South Africa - stats
Kohli maintains a fantastic record against South Africa. In 29 ODI innings, he has made 1504 runs at an average of 65.39 and a strike rate of 85.74. He has fit five centuries against the Proteas so far, including one in the ODI World Cup 2023.
On the other hand, India will be eyeing a much-needed series win to build some momentum in international cricket. They suffered an ODI series defeat to Australia in the last month and were humiliated 2-0 in the recently concluded Test series against the Temba Bavuma-led side. Both the players and the coaching unit are under immense pressure and if the results don’t go their way, some hard calls might be taken.
Meanwhile, Ranchi will host the first ODI, followed by the 2nd ODI on December 3 in Raipur and final one on December 6 in Visakhapatnam.