India and Australia squared off with each other in their first game of the ICC World Cup 2023 in Chennai. The competition between bat and ball was quite high as both the teams gave their best but it was the Rohit Sharma-led side who held their nerves and won the game. The Men in Blue completed a 6-wicket victory to kickstart their campaign on high.
ICC World Cup 2023: Virat Kohli becomes the fastest in history to score 15,000 international runs in Asia
The credit for India’s win in their first game of the ICC World Cup 2023 against Australia goes to Virat Kohli. The senior batter yet again stepped up in the pressure situation and proved why he is rated as the best batter in world cricket.
India had a pretty decent outing with the ball as they bundled out Australia for 199 runs. However, they were left in the doldrums while chasing at the start. Captain Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer bagged ducks as the team was left tottering at 2/3.
It was then when Virat Kohli joined hands with KL Rahul and the duo bailed the team out of trouble and took them home. They added 165 runs for the fourth wicket and made sure that India kick-started their ICC World Cup 2023 on high.
While KL Rahul remained unbeaten at 97, Virat Kohli was back in the hut for 85 runs. With the way they batted, it was pleasing to watch as timed the ball to perfection and played cracking shots to win the game for the team.
Virat Kohli batted for 116 balls and also slammed 6 fours in his innings. With his knock, he achieved a huge milestone as became the fastest in history to score 15,000 international runs in Asia. He also became the first Asian to complete 11,000 runs at 3 in ODIs.
ICC World Cup 2023: Virat Kohli surpasses Kumar Sangakkara to score most 50+ scores as non-opener
Virat Kohli also overtook Sri Lanka Legend Kumar Sangakkara to score most 50+ scores as non opener. The Indian batter now has 113 scores 50 plus scores in 113 innings over whereas the former Sri Lanka cricketer had 112 in 359 innings.
After his innings in the ICC World Cup 2023 against Australia, Virat Kohli also has the most runs in successful chases. The Indian batter has scored 5,517 runs. He would be hoping to add more to his tally as the tournament progresses.