Virat Kohli took over the limited-overs captaincy from MS Dhoni in January 2017 and since then, the Indian team has gone from strength to strength in all formats of the game.
In ODIs, India have defeated England, West Indies and Sri Lanka – the latter of the two away from home and reached the final of the ICC Champions Trophy. With a five-wicket win over Australia in Indore, India has taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in the 5-match series and thus reached the numero uno spot in the ICC ODI rankings.
Here are some stats from the match:
- This is the ninth successive ODI victory for men in blue which is their joint-longest winning streak in the format for India. Between November 2008 and February 2009, under the leadership of Dhoni, India had a run of as many successive victories.
- Kohli is the first ever Indian to have led to his team to a win in the first three matches of a bilateral ODI series against Australia.
- India has won all five ODIs they have played at Indore’s Holkar stadium. It is the only venue where India have won all the matches, playing five or more games.
- Rohit Sharma now has 1403 runs against Australia at an average of 63.77. This is the second most by an Indian batsman after Sachin Tendulkar who has scored 3077.
- Aaron Finch made 124 in Indore in the third ODI and it is only the second instance of an Australian batsman making a highest individual score in a losing cause.
- Rohit Sharma has smashed 65 sixes against Australia in Intl. Cricket, most by any batsman (Previous record : B. McCullum – 61)
- 10th defeat for Australia in last 10 away ODIs.
- 30th win for Virat Kohli as a Captain in ODIs after 38 matches, he is second fastest to do so as Ricky Ponting had done it in 37 matches.
- 6th consecutive bilateral ODI series win for India; Joint most for Men in Blue. India have won 6 series in a row under Dravid (Jan 2007- Aug 2007) & Dhoni (Nov 2007- Jun 2009) too.
- 750th Dismissal for M.S.Dhoni in Intl. Cricket. Only the 3rd Wicket-keeper after Gilchrist & Boucher to achieve this feat.
