File photo of Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli© Instagram
All eyes will be on Virat Kohli when Indian cricket team gets down to action against Bangladesh in a Test series, starting September 19. Kohli has already retired from T20Is and it means that fans will get to see the 35-year-old star in only two formats – Tests and ODIs. Comparisons have often been drawn between Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar, though the former has always maintained that the latter is unmatchable. Kohli has 80 international tons and is second to Tendulkar (100) in terms of number of centuries.
While surpassing that feat may take some time, Kohli can surpass Tendulkar for a world record in international cricket in the Bangladesh Test series. Virat Kohli needs 58 runs to complete 27,000 runs in international cricket. Tendulkar is the fastest to reach 27,000 runs international cricket – 623 innings (226 Test innings, 396 ODI innings, 1 T20I innings). Kohli so far has played 591 innings across formats scoring 26942 runs. If Kohli can score 58 more runs in his next eight innings – which looks highly likely – he will become the first cricketer in the 147-year history of international cricket to reach 27,000 runs in less than 600 innings.
So far, apart from Tendulkar, Australia’s Ricky Ponting and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara have over 27000 runs in international cricket.
Meanwhile, there is a chance that the Afro-Asia Cup may be revived again. If the tournament indeed see light of the day, it might open up a possibility of Virat Kohli partnering Babar Azam in the middle or Shaheen Afridi bowling in tandem with Jasprit Bumrah.
According to a report in Forbes, the possibility of Afro-Asia Cup revival “is being looked at again”.
“Personally, I am very hurt that it (Afro-Asia Cup) didn’t happen,” Damodar told me. “There was not adequate momentum through the ACA, but it is being looked at again. I think it was basically a lack of understanding and not buying into the concept,” ex-African Cricket Association chair Sumod Damodar told Forbes. “Our members are regretting it. It needed to be pushed by Africa.”
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