India v South Africa, 2nd T20I: Run-machine Virat Kohli in line to surpass Don Bradman
NEW DELHI: India captain Virat Kohli has evoked comparisons with many legendary batsman during his record-breaking career, and the in-form batsman is now looking at going past the greatest of all, Sir Don Bradman, as India’s tour of South Africa winds down.
Kohli, 29, has so far scored a stunning 870 runs on this tour, in 13 innings. If he manages another 104 in the remaining two T20Is to be played on February 21 and 24, he will move past Bradman’s scarcely believable mark of 974 runs in five Tests against England in 1930 to second on the all-time list of most runs scored on a tour.
If Kohli scores 130 more runs, he will move into uncharted territory.
The only man to top 1000 runs one a tour is Sir Viv Richards, who during West Indies’ 1976 tour of England made 1045 runs (829 in four Tests, 216 runs in three ODIs).
Kohli’s incredible run of form in South Africa over the past two months saw him finish as the leading run-getter in the 1-2 Test series loss with 286 an average of 47.66, followed by 558 runs in six ODIs, with three centuries, which are the most by any batsman ever during a bilateral series.
Kohli started the three-match T20I series with 26 off 20 balls as India beat South Africa by 28 runs in Johannesburg. He has two innings left to possibly move past Bradman and join Richards in a very elite club.