Virat Kohli played a good comeback in the third ODI against Australia in Sydney after two consecutive ducks. The Indian star marked a good half-century, and made his team end the series on an up-note. This time Kohli appeared to be confident and calm with the bat, after battling in Perth and Adelaide.
India batted first and only allowed Australia 236 in 46.4 overs courtesy of young pacer Harshit Rana who bowled an amazing 4 /39. In response, India pursued the target without difficulties as Rohit Sharma was still unbeaten with 121 and Kohli was still at 74. Their 168-run alliance closed a comfortable nine-wicket victory by the visitors.
In his knock which was not met, Kohli made another significant milestone of overtaking Kumar Sangakkara and becoming the second-highest run-scorer in the history of ODI. The 36 years old has since made 305 appearances and he is still cementing his status as one of the best batters in the contemporary game of cricket.
1. Virat Kohli vs Kumar Sangakkara – Who has more runs and a better average after 305 ODIs?
Virat is way ahead of Kumar Sangakkara in terms of both average and runs after 305 ODIs. The runs that Kohli has accumulated stand at 14,255 with an outstanding average of 57.71 and a strike rate of 93.26. He has also been steady against all the major sides and has amassed a total of more than 2,500 and above 1,500 runs against Australia and South Africa and Sri Lanka and New Zealand respectively. His supremacy in the world cricket is evident by his performance against some of the best bowling attacks.
By contrast Sangakkara with the same amount of matches had 9,653 runs with an average of 37.85 and a strike rate of 75.17. Although he is a stable performer, his figures are significantly lower than those of Kohli. The Sri Lankan legend had his most positive returns against India and Australia, but has failed to display the same repeatability among the teams as Kohli has throughout his career.
2. Virat Kohli vs Kumar Sangakkara – Who scored more hundreds in 305 ODIs?
Kohli has a hundred and fifty after 305 matches, a record that no other can match. He has made 51 centuries and 75 half-centuries demonstrating his great consistency and desire to score big. His best score of 183 was against Pakistan in 2012 Asia Cup. It is worth mentioning that he has at least five or more centuries over most of major teams, which proves that he can perform well in stressful situations.
Sangakkara, however, at the same stage had 11 hundreds and 66 fifties. He scored the best in 2005 in India with 138. Although these are good figures as a wicketkeeper-batter, they are nothing compared to the record figures of Kohli. Kohli had a higher conversion rate and number of centuries which took him to a whole new level.
3. Virat Kohli vs Kumar Sangakkara- Who wins more after 305 ODIs?
Kohli has been remarkable in the victories of India. He has hit 10,398 runs out of 188 wins and a fantastic average of 74.80 and a strike rate of 96.57. His 43 centuries of victories draw the cause and effect of his importance in the success of India over the years. His fighting spirit is an outstanding characteristic even during losses.
To Sangakkara, his achievements in terms of wins are averagely good not even close to those of Kohli. The 167 wins made him have 5,665 runs at an average of 42.91 and a 77.69 strike rate. As he hit a number of match-winning knocks, his performance in pressure situations and high average puts Kohli as the obvious winner in this battle.
4. Virat Kohli vs Kumar Sangakkara- Who is better off in the record of chases after 305 ODIs?
The reputation of Kohli as one of the most successful chasers in the world of cricket is hard deserved. During the 172 ODIs in the second position, he has amassed 8,138 at an average of 64.58 and a strike rate of 93.21. He has 28 centuries 42 fifties in the field in run-chases as he has led India to numerous memorable victories. He is very laid back and has a knack of timing innings in a very perfect way, which makes him special.
Sangakkara on the other hand made 3,563 in 136 ODIs in the process of chasing at a median of 36.73 with 100 and 24 fifties. He was a good guy but he did not dominate as chases as Kohli has done. Kohli is unparalleled in terms of consistency and effect in second innings which puts him above the Sri Lankan great.
