IND vs SA: Streak broken! Virat Kohli's 7-year unbeaten record ends as South Africa clinch second ODI in Raipur

Virat Kohli scored his 53rd century for India in One-Day Internationals.

India lost the second ODI against South Africa in Raipur despite posting 358 runs on the board in the first innings. Continuing his sublime form, Virat Kohli registered another century, his 53rd in ODI cricket. He partnered with Ruturaj Gaikwad, who scored his maiden ODI century, to build an impeccable 195-run partnership.

In the second innings, India lost the plot as South Africa completed their third-highest chase in ODI cricket. Powered by Aiden Markram’s 110 runs and Matthew Breetzke’s half-century, the Proteas levelled the series before it moves to Visakhapatnam for the decider.

Virat Kohli’s seven-year long streak gets broken

Virat Kohli’s century lit up the show in Raipur, but the hosts could not translate that into a victory. With that, India’s as well as Virat Kohli’s 7-year unbeaten streak got broken. Before this game, whenever Kohli slammed a ton, India won the match. The last time Kohli scored a century in a losing cause was in March 2019 against Australia in Ranchi, a few months before the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup.

Virat has scored 53 ODI centuries, but this was only the eighth time that India lost when he crossed the three-figure mark, which is also reflective of his importance in the batting order. The former India captain continues to be an important cog in the wheel for the Men in Blue.

Also Read: IND vs SA: “Whenever I am set, I make it a big one”- Ruturaj Gaikwad’s bold statement after his maiden ODI ton

Ranchi’s script repeats in Raipur for Virat Kohli

Similar to the second match in Raipur on Wednesday, Virat was the centurion in the third ODI of the five-match ODI series in 2019 against Australia. Batting first, the Aussies scored 313 runs, with Usman Khawaja piling up 104 runs.

The Indian batting suffered early blows as both the openers, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, walked back in the first half of the initial ten overs. Batting at No.4, Ambati Rayudu could not do much either. With his dismissal, India were reduced to 27/3 in 6.2 overs.

Virat stood tall in the crisis once again, but the lack of support on the other end did not help India’s cause. He scored 123 runs off just 95 balls to take India closer to the target, but the hosts fell short as Australia restricted them to 281 and clinched the match by 32 runs.

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