The 2023 ODI World Cup turned out to be a memorable tournament for Virat Kohli with the bat – the batting maestro did some usual business – breaking several records to script history. His India may not have won the world title but the batting great finished the tourney as its leading run-getter.
The 35-year-old started off the tournament on a high note with a gritty 85-run knock against Australia on a tricky Chennai track and there was no stopping him after that as he went onto win the Player of the Tournament award.
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His numbers in the 2023 World Cup look a bit unreal: 765 runs in 11 innings at an astonishing average of 95.62.
Virat Kohli in World Cup 2023
11 innings | 765 runs | Average 95.62 | Strike Rate 90.31 | 3 X 100s | 6 X 50s
The match against the Netherlands also saw Kohli taking a wicket in the ODI World Cup where he dismissed Scott Edwards.
Kohli also broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most runs in a single edition of the competition. Tendulkar amassed 673 runs but India failed to win the trophy after losing the final to Australia in 2003 – as did Kohli 20 years later.
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Kohli became the first batter to breach the 700-run mark in a single edition of the World Cup.
| Player | Edition | Innings | Runs | Average | 100/50 |
| Virat Kohli | 2023 | 11 | 765 | 95.65 | 03/6 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 2003 | 11 | 673 | 61.18 | 01/6 |
| Matthew Hayden | 2007 | 10 | 659 | 73.22 | 03/1 |
| Rohit Sharma | 2019 | 9 | 648 | 81 | 05/1 |
| David Warner | 2019 | 10 | 647 | 71.88 | 03/03 |
Kohli was consistent with the bat throughout the tournament and became the first batter to hit five consecutive 50-plus scores for the second in World Cups. He had done so for the first time during the 2019 edition in England where he didn’t score a century but contributed with his consistent performances.
Five consecutive 50+ scores in World Cups
5 Steven Smith in 2015
5 Virat Kohli in 2019
5 Virat Kohli in 2023
The seasoned campaigner became the first Indian to score 50-plus scores in both the semi-final and the final of a World Cup too.
50+ scores in both semi & final in a World Cup edition
Mike Brearley (1979)
David Boon (1987)
Javed Miandad (1992)
Aravinda de Silva (1996)
Grant Elliot (2015)
Steven Smith (2015)
Virat Kohli (2023)
There was another special moment for Kohli which will be remembered for ages – he became the first batter to score 50 ODI centuries. With three tons in the tournament, Kohli pipped legendary Tendulkar’s tally of most ODI tons – 49.
It was an iconic moment as Kohli achieved the feat in front of Tendulkar at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai during the semi-final against New Zealand.
Kohli also paid tribute to Tendulkar by bowing down to him after getting to the historic milestone.
He finished the tournament with a fine 54-run knock against Australia in the final but it was not enough for India to get over the line.
India were restricted to 240 in 50 overs. However, Travis Head scored a brilliant century in the middling chase to help Australia clinch their sixth World Cup title.
