Virat Kohli unlocks 8000-run milestone, shows why he is the ultimate chase master

Virat Kohli might have an recurring issue outside the off stump, he might persistently get out against leg-spinners in the ODIs, but no one can take away the title of “best-chaser in ODI history”. There have been innumerable matches where he has taken Team India beyond the finish line, but his record as a chaser, is rather frightening.

On Tuesday, during the semi-final clash of the Champions Trophy in India vs Australia, Virat Kohli breached the 8000-run mark in chases alone. Just recently, in the same tournament, he had become only the third player in the history of the game to score 14,000 runs in the format.

So in 159 innings in the ODIs where Virat has chased, he averages over 64. That includes 35 not outs, a highest score of 183, a strike-rate of 93, with 28 centuries. He also has 40 fifties to support his gigantic numbers. Having said that, he is only the second in the world to cross this 8000-run mark, after India’s Sachin Tendulkar.

The Master Blaster had 8720 runs in chases, spread across 236 matches. His average was 42, while he scored 17 tons in those matches. Surprisingly, third batter on the list is Rohit Sharma, who has scored 6115 runs in 155 matches, at an average of 49 with 16 tons. The next two players on the list are Sanath Jayasuriya and Jacques Kallis. They have scored 5742 and 5575 runs, respectively.

What really separates Virat Kohli from the rest is — out of those 8000 runs, 5913 runs have come in a winning cause.. in 105 matches, where his average goes to 89. Add 24 tons in the list. In comparison, Sachin has 5490 runs in winning cause, at an average of 55, with 14 tons.