In 2018, West Indies witnessed Virat Kohli’s record of 10,000 runs; 8 years later, he is chasing another unique milestone in ODIs

Indian stalwart Virat Kohli (pic; IANS) Virat Kohli is returning to the format that has undoubtedly defined his international career and the West Indies are one of his favorite opponents. As India begin their three-match ODI series against the West Indies on September 27, Kohli has a stunning record against the Caribbean side – 2,261 runs in 43 matches at an average of 66.50, including nine centuries and 11 fifties. And now he is just one century short of creating a unique ODI record.

Virat Kohli is one century away from creating history

One of the most significant innings of Kohli’s career against the West Indies came in Visakhapatnam on 24 October 2018. Kohli smashed an unbeaten 157 off 129 balls, his 37th ODI century. More importantly, the innings took him past the 10,000-run mark in ODI cricket.He reached the milestone in just 205 innings, beating Sachin Tendulkar’s previous record of 259 innings. Kohli became the 13th batsman to enter the 10,000-run club, but did it considerably faster than anyone before him.Kohli has already scored more ODI centuries against the West Indies than any other batsman, with nine hundreds to his name. That sets up an interesting milestone for him in the upcoming series. Kohli already has 10 ODI centuries against Sri Lanka and another hundred against West Indies would make him the first batsman in ODI history to score 10 centuries against two different teams.It would also extend a remarkable record against an opponent he has consistently dominated both home and away.

157*, 140, 114*: Kohli’s memorable knock

Kohli’s record against the West Indies is not simply built on volume. Several of his most memorable ODI appearances came against the Caribbean side.157 off 129, Visakhapatnam, 2018* – This remains Kohli’s highest ODI score against West Indies. His unbeaten 157 came with 13 fours and four sixes and also reached the milestone of 10,000 runs.140 off 107, Guwahati, 2018 – In the opening ODI of the 2018 series, Kohli produced another spectacular run chase. He smashed 140 off 107 balls and shared a 246-run partnership with Rohit Sharma as India chased down 323 with eight wickets in hand.114 off 99, Port of Spain, 2019* – Kohli continued his dominance in the Caribbean in 2019 as he scored an unbeaten 114 in a rain-hit ODI at Port of Spain. His century helped India chase down the revised target and complete a 2-0 series win.

What makes the West Indies a special opponent for Kohli?

Virat Kohli has three Player of the Series awards against West Indies. He scored 453 runs in India’s five-match home series against them in 2018, including three centuries, before another prolific run in the Caribbean in 2019.Kohli’s return to ODI cricket against the West Indies therefore comes with more than just another series on the calendar. Virat Kohli too is on the verge of making history, needing just 59 runs to reach the monumental milestone of 15,000 ODI runs. He currently has 14,941 runs from 314 matches (302 innings) and is set to become only the second batsman in cricket history, after the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, to cross this elite mark.The first ODI of the three-match series will be played on September 27, giving Kohli another opportunity to add another chapter to an already outstanding record.