Kohli fastest to reach 10K mark as second ODI ends in a tie

VISAKHAPATNAM: Run-machine Virat Kohli sprinted to fastest 10,000 ODI runs but West Indies stole a tie from India with Shai Hope’s gutsy hundred in an exhilarating second one-dayer here on Wednesday.
India notched up 321 for six, while the West Indies, needing 14 runs in the final over and five off the last ball, levelled the score with Hope (123 not out) cutting Umesh Yadav for a boundary. Besides Hope’s ton, there was also Shimron Hetmyer’s 94-run blitzkrieg.
Kuldeep Yadav showed his worth again with three wickets. Opting to bat, Kohli fired 157 off 129 balls, while Ambati Rayudu, who is seen as the answer to the team’s persistent problems at the number four slot by Kohli himself, made a fluent 73 off 80 deliveries.
The 29-year-old Kohli, who hit 13 boundaries and four sixes, bettered the iconic Sachin Tendulkar’s record by an incredible 54 innings, and then went past 1000 runs in the calendar year in only 11 innings, which is also the fastest.
During their stay in the middle, the two were involved in a partnership of 139 runs in 142 balls for the third wicket at the Dr YSR ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, set amidst picturesque hills.While he acknowledged the fans’ applause by raising his bat after reaching the 10k landmark, the crowd was on its feet again when Kohli creamed Marlon Samuels to the cover boundary to bring up his century, his 37th in this format.
Kohli pulled, cut, flicked and drove in the manner he does best before cutting loose towards the end. A six down the ground off debutant left-arm pacer Obed McCoy brought up 1,000 runs for him in the year.
He then deposited McCoy over long-on for another maximum and in the next over, smashed Roach for a six and two fours to power his team past 300.
India were, however, off to a poor start when Rohit Sharma (4) was dismissed early by Kemar Roach in the fourth over of the day.
After the fall of his opening partner, who like Kohli entered the game on the back of a big hundred in the series-opener, Shikhar Dhawan continued to find the fence a couple of times while playing an upper cut to slice Roach’s short ball outside off for a six over the third man. However, Ashley Nurse had Dhawan trapped in front of the wicket after a West Indies review went in their favour.
At the end, visitors tumbled to keep the pace and lost wickets in the pursuit to eventually end the game in a thrilling last ball tie. (PTI)