Virat Kohli smashed an unbeaten 129 off just 96 balls to help India beat South Africa by eight wickets in the sixth and final ODI at Centurion on Friday. India who had already won the ODI series, their first on South African soil, completed a 5-1 series win in the end.
Kohli ended the series with 558 runs with three centuries and one fifty in six innings. This was the first time an Indian batsman has hit 3 centuries in a bilateral series.
[2/17, 08:19] Pushpendra Albe: Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman had scored three centuries but not in a bilateral series. Kohli’s mammoth 558 runs in the series is also the most by any batsman in a bilateral ODI series. He broke the record of Rohit Sharma, who scored 491 runs in the six-match series against Australia.
Floored by Kohli’s Charisma, former England captain Michael Vaughan termed him as the greatest ODI player ever.
“35th …. Greatest Ever ODI player … #Fact … @imVkohli #SAvIND” he wrote on his twitter handle.
VVS Laxman and Mohammad Kaif also lavished praise on the Indian skipper.
“And he does what he does best, score centuries. The stellar run for the champion continues, 35 th ODI hundred , 3rd in the series. Take a bow, Virat Kohli” Laxman wrote on his twitter handle.
“One of the best ODI innings I have seen in the recent past. Congratulations, @imVkohli! Excellent work by #TeamIndia to win an ODI series for the first time in South Africa. Way to go, boys✌️✌️ #SAvIND 🇮🇳” wrote Suresh Raina.
