Former Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene congratulated Virat Kohli after the Indian batter leapfrogged him to become the highest run-getter in the T20 World Cup. Kohli’s unbeaten knock of 64 runs off just 44 balls against Bangladesh at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday helped him overtake Jayawardene’s tally of 1015 runs in the T20I showpiece.
Kohli now has 1065 runs under his belt and he is the leading run-scorer in the history of the tournament. The talisman has been a consistent performer for the Indian team in the T20 World Cup and has played magical knocks in the competition.
Kohli took his time in the early stage of the innings as he scored 32 runs off 28 balls before flipping the switch. The next 16 balls produced another 32 runs for the right-hander as he once again timed the ball to perfection.
Kohli has amassed 220 runs in the ongoing marquee event and he is currently the leading run-getter of this edition of the World Cup. The 33-year-old from Delhi has scored his runs at an average of 220 and a strike rate of 144.74.
Mahela Jayawardene said in a video uploaded by ICC, “Hi everyone, this is Mahela. Records are meant to be broken. There is always [someone] who is going to break my record. It’s you, Virat. Brilliant mate, congratulations. You have always been a warrior. The form is always temporary, class is permanent. So, very well done buddy.”
Kohli has been at his absolute best in the recent past and it is a big positive for the team. The linchpin had scored 276 runs in five matches of the Asia Cup at an average of 92 and a strike rate of 147.59 and since then he hasn’t looked back.
The former Indian skipper had also scored a masterpiece knock of 82 runs off just 53 balls against Pakistan in the team’s opening game of the tournament.
Kohli would want to carry the same form in the later stages of the competition and he is going to hold the key for the team. India will next face Zimbabwe at the iconic MCG on Sunday.
