The third and series-deciding ODI between India and South Africa will be played tomorrow, December 6, in Visakhapatnam. With the series level at 1-1, the winner of this match will lift the trophy.
Virat Kohli has been the standout performer so far, emerging as the leading run-scorer with 237 runs at an average of 118.50, including back-to-back centuries. He has already shattered multiple records in this series – and three more major milestones are within his reach in the final ODI.
1. ODI Century Hat-Trick
Only 12 players in the history of ODI cricket have scored centuries in three consecutive innings. Babar Azam is the only cricketer to achieve the feat twice. Among Indians, both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have one hat-trick of ODI tons each. If Kohli scores another century in the third ODI, he will become the first Indian to record two separate hat-tricks of ODI centuries.
2. Four Consecutive Centuries vs South Africa
Virat Kohli already has three consecutive ODI centuries against South Africa – one from the 2023 World Cup and two in the ongoing series (135 and 102). A century in the third ODI will make him the first player ever to score four consecutive ODI tons against South Africa.
3. Climbing to No. 2 in International Runs
Virat Kohli currently has 27,910 runs in 555 international matches, sitting third on the all-time list. He needs just 107 more runs to surpass Kumar Sangakkara’s tally of 28,016 runs. If he achieves that in the final ODI, Kohli will rise to second place among the highest run-scorers in international cricket.
Is Virat Kohli Planning a Test Comeback?
Amid growing speculation about a potential return to Test cricket, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has firmly dismissed all such reports. He clarified that the board has not approached Virat Kohli regarding a comeback, calling the circulating claims ‘baseless.’
Kohli last featured in the longest format during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in January before announcing his retirement from Tests in May, alongside Rohit Sharma. Following their exit, Shubman Gill took over as captain and also stepped into Kohli’s No. 4 role in the batting order.
