Virat Kohli's first match after giving up Test captaincy could see him surpass former greats Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly in an elite batting list
Virat Kohli decided to relinquish Test captain of Team India, as he wanted to focus more on his batting. He wanted to stay away from the pressures that come along with the duties of a skipper. Now that the 33-year-old will not captain India in any format for the first time since 2015, fans will be hoping to see Virat Kohli the batsman on show today versus South Africa.
India will take on the Proteas in the first ODI of the three-match series in Boland Park at Paarl. No wonder, having lost the Test series, Indian players will be raring to go against South Africa and win the first ODI. Meanwhile, apart from the collective glory, Virat Kohli also has a chance of surpassing a personal milestone.
The Delhi-born batsman will have a chance of surpassing former Indian greats Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly in an elite batting list.
Team India's head coach Rahul Dravid and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly are third and second on the list of most runs scored against South Africa by Indian players in ODIs. While Dravid, the 'Wall of India' struck 1309 runs against the Proteas, Sourav Ganguly amassed 1313 runs in their playing careers.
Virat Kohli is fourth on the list with 1287 runs to his name and will have a chance of surpassing the two greats on this list.
Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar leads the scoring charts with 2001 runs in 57 games against South Africa. In fact, Tendulkar also leads the overall list as well, with Australian legend Ricky Ponting close behind in second place with 1879 runs versus the Proteas.
Amid all these greats what sets Kohli apart is that he has scored four centuries and 6 half-centuries at a staggering average of 64.35 against South Africa in ODIs. Indian fans will be hoping to see more of this today.
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