Virat Kohli gets ‘classy’ praise from former Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara
Virat Kohli, who just missed out on breaking Kumar Sangakkara’s record of scoring the most runs in a calender year across all formats of cricket, was praised by the former Sri Lanka skipper on Twitter.
Virat Kohli, who completed the year 2017 on a new high and also sealed a series win over Sri Lanka, was praised by Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara on Twitter.
Kohli achieved a rare distinction of starting a series with a duck but still ending up as its highest run-getter. He notched up scores of 0, 104*, 213, 243 and 50 in the three-match series which India clinched 1-0.
The Indian captain thus scored more than 600 runs in the series, but fell a little short of Sangakkara’s overall tally of 2,868 runs across formats in a calendar year by a whisker.
Kohli will not be taking part in the limited-overs series — consisting three ODIs and as many T20Is against Sri Lanka — and thus ends the year 2017 with 2,818 runs.
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As of December 6, Kohli was the third highest run-scorer in Test cricket with 1,059 runs at 75.64 with the help of five centuries and a fifty. In ODIs, Kohli is by far the best batsman in the format with 1,460 runs in 26 matches, at 76.84 with six centuries and seven fifties. In 10 T20Is, the Indian captain made 299 runs with two fifties.
On Wednesday, after a Sri Lankan cricket statistician pointed out that Kohli has fallen short of Sangakkara’s stunning record, the legendary cricketer replied in a manner that would give immense confidence to Kohli.
Virat Kohli will now be taking a break - and will reportedly marry girlfriend Anushka Sharma during his time off - before the Indian cricket team’s tour of South Africa, which begins late December with a tour match.
The first Test on the South Africa tour will begin January 5, at Cape Town.
