Arriving at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground for what was billed as his last ODI on Australian soil, Virat Kohli has responded in trademark fashion.
Coming in after Shubman Gill's dismissal, he received a standing ovation from fans, and has scored a fifty. This time, he looked resolute, getting off the mark with a flick off Josh Hazlewood and celebrating his very first run with a fist pump, symbolizing relief and defiance.
He has gone on to craft a fluent half-century off 56 balls, anchoring India's chase alongside Rohit Sharma, who also shone with the bat. The partnership steadied India after early nerves and reminded fans of the duo's dominance over the years.
Kohli's return to form not only silenced his critics but also made the Sydney crowd
witness a performance that felt like a fitting encore to his legacy Down Under. As the India star continues to carry one post half-century, India are on course towards a victory in the final match of the ODI series.
Along with that, Kohli has also gone past Kumar Sangakkara to claim the 2nd spot in most run scorers in ODI cricket.
Sachin Tendulkar continues to reign supreme atop the list of all-time run-getters in One Day Internationals, with a monumental tally of 18,426 runs from 452 innings. His record, built across two decades of dominance, remains the gold standard in ODI batting.
Virat Kohli, however, is rapidly narrowing the gap. With 14,235+ runs in just 293 innings, Kohli has gone ahead of Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara, who amassed 14,234 runs from 380 innings. Australia's Ricky Ponting remains fourth with 13,704 runs in 365 innings, while Sri Lanka's explosive opener Sanath Jayasuriya rounds out the top five, having scored 13,430 runs from 433 innings.
