Virat Kohli Breaks Former Australian Record with Unbeaten 65 in Vizag Masterclass

Virat Kohli added another bright chapter to his ODI career with an unbeaten 65 in Visakhapatnam. His knock helped India chase 271 with ease in the third ODI and sealed the series with a nine wicket win.

Kohli looked calm from the start. He worked the gaps, ran hard and kept the chase steady. His 65 not out came off just 45 balls and showed why he is trusted in pressure games.

This innings also pushed him past Ricky Ponting and Kumar Sangakkara for the most 50 plus scores against South Africa in ODIs. He now has 16 such scores against them.

Kohli finished the three match series with more than 300 runs. He hit two centuries and this unbeaten fifty. It was one of his best ODI series in recent times.

Against South Africa he now has 1806 runs in 34 matches. This includes seven hundreds and nine fifties. His consistency has troubled South Africa for more than a decade.

Ponting is next on the list with 1879 runs and 15 fifty plus scores from 48 games. Sangakkara also has 15 such scores from 44 matches. Rahul Dravid and Steve Waugh follow with 14 each.

Players With Most 50+ Scores Versus South Africa In ODIs:

Player	Matches	Runs	50+ Scores
Virat Kohli	34	1806	16
Ricky Ponting	48	1879	15
Kumar Sangakkara	44	1789	15
Rahul Dravid	36	1309	14
Steve Waugh	47	1581	14

Fans and experts often call Kohli the GOAT of ODI cricket. He already has 52 ODI hundreds. Many believe he can push further before the 2027 World Cup as he continues to chase Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 international tons.

Kohli again proved why he is seen as the master of run chases. His knock in Vizag came in a series decider and he made it look simple. South Africa once again had no answers for him.