Virat Kohli Equals New Zealand Great In Elite List, Eyes Ex-India Skipper's Huge Feat

28.07.2023 - 11:59 sports.ndtv.com

Virat Kohli did not bat in India's five-wicket victory over West Indies in the first ODI match in Barbados but that did not stop him from adding another major accolade to his already illustrious career.

Kohli pulled off a stunning catch at second slip off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja to dismiss Romario Shepherd and it was his 142nd catch in ODI cricket.

He is currently tied in the fourth spot with New Zealand's Ross Taylor when it comes to cricketers with most ODI catches. Sri Lanka legend Mahela Jayawardene tops the list with 218 while Australia's Ricky Ponting is second with 160.

Kohli will be looking to become the highest-placed Indian cricketer in the list by surpassing Mohammed Azharuddin who is third with 156 catches.

cricket India Cricket Team West Indies Cricket Team 2023 Ricky Ponting Virat Kohli Ross Taylor Mahela Jayawardene Australia New Zealand India Sri Lanka Barbados

India skipper Rohit Sharma could be under a lot of focus these days. How well he marshals the Indian cricket team in the upcoming Asia Cup, which starts on August 30, and more importantly at the World Cup 2023 might well decide the course of the side. So far, Rohit has not had any big success at the global level since he took over Indian captaincy in all three formats in the last couple of years. Under Kohli too, the Indian cricket team failed to win any ICC trophy. However, former Pakistan cricket team captain Rashid Latif believes that had Kohli been the skipper going into the 2023 World Cup, India would have been much more ready.

"Virat Kohli Had Direction, Wanted To Win, But...": Pak Great On Ex-India Captain's Sacking

India's ICC trophy drought remains one of the biggest mysteries for the global cricketing spectrum considering the talent pool the team has. While the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, etc. are among the top players in the world, the ICC trophy continues to evade the team. Even captains of the stature of Kohli and Rohit haven't succeeded in getting India the success they desire. For Pakistan great Rashid Latif, the ICC trophy absence is more down to 'internal issues'.

No, Virat Kohli Does Not Earn Rs 11.45 Crore Per Instagram Post. Indian Cricket Team Great Denies Report As "Not True"

A report by Hopper HQ went viral on Friday, which claimed that former India cricket team captain Virat Kohli charged a mind-boggling sum of INR 11.45 crore for every single sponsored post he put on Instagram in 2023. The list was topped by football great Cristiano Ronaldo, followed by Argentine great Lionel Messi. According to the report, Ronaldo charged a whopping sum of USD 3.23 million, which approximately INR 26.75 crore. Messi, on the other hand, charged USD 2.56 million per Instagram post, which is roughly INR 21.49 crore per post, according to Hopper HQ.

"In League Of Virat Kohli, Babar Azam": Pakistan Great Lavishes Ultimate Praise On Young Star

Pakistan national men's selection committee on Wednesday named the squads for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan and the Asia Cup 2023. The announcement came as a surprise for many fans as Shan Masood and Ihsanullah have been dropped from the side. Apart from them, another exclusion that left everyone utterly shocked was of batter Saud Shakeel, who has not been included in the Asia Cup squad. Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal came in support of Shakeel and stated that the 27-year-old batter has the potential to reach the level of Virat Kohli and Babar Azam.

West Indies vs India: Tilak Varma On Cusp Of Surpassing Virat Kohli, KL Rahul In Elite T20I List

Tilak Varma has looked highly promising in his first three T20I matches for the Indian team. So far, the youngster has registered scores of 39, 51 and 49 not out in the first three T20Is against the West Indies. India now trail 1-2 in the five-match series after beating West Indies in the third T20I in Guyana on Tuesday. With India needing to win both matches in order to clinch the series, Tilak is on the cusp of surpassing Virat Kohli in an elite T20I list.

"Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma Shouldn't Have Gone": Ex-India Star's Sharp Take On Experiments vs WI

Former Indian batter Mohammed Kaif opined that the India's ongoing tour of West Indies was taken lightly, as it witnessed a lot of experimentation and chances given to youngsters, especially in the ODI leg of the tour and judgements about the team should be made from the Asia Cup, where they should field their best playing XI. India won the ODI series against West Indies by 2-1. A lot of experiments within the squad was done. Seniors like Virat Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma were rested and youngsters/non-regulars like Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Mukesh Kumar, Suryakumar Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat etc., were given chances to play.