- By Namrata Vijay
- Wed, 16 Oct 2024 12:51 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
On 16th October 2013, star batter Virat Kohli put up one of his best performances in the 50-over format by scoring the quickest hundred as an Indian. He achieved this milestone in 52 balls against Australia during the second ODI of the seven-match series in Jaipur. On the back of his brilliant innings, the Men in Blue chased down the mammoth target of 360 runs quite comprehensively and helped the team win the match by nine wickets with 39 balls remaining. Kohli surpassed Virender Sehwag's tally of 60-ball hundred in 2009 against New Zealand. Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli made significant contributions with the bat while chasing a target of 360 runs.
The George Bailey-led side posted a mammoth of 359/5 while batting first on the back of brilliant half-centuries from the top-order batting lineup, where skipper George Bailey was the highest run-getter as he scored an unbeaten knock of 92 runs.
Rohit-Dhawan's partnership
In reply, openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan gave the team a flying start by stitching a match-winning partnership of 176 runs for the first wicket. Dhawan batted aggressively as he scored 95 runs off 85 balls, but fell agonizingly short of a well-deserved century as James Faulkner dismissed him.
Kohli's record-breaking hundred
At the same time, Rohit Sharma stayed unbeaten by scoring a brilliant knock of 141 runs off 123 balls. His innings had both patience and aggression and thus played the role of an anchor. But it was Kohli, who grabbed all the limelight. He came into bat and snatched any hopes of winning this match from the opponent by smashing consecutive fours. He had hit seven sixes and eight fours, which helped him score a match-winning hundred and made sure that the run rate never dipped.
The Men in Blue chased down the mammoth target of 360 runs, which was also the highest successful chase in the history of the format, and had lost just one wicket. Kohli's match-winning performance along with Rohit Sharma's scintillating hundred showed India's batting prowess and helped them win a historic match.