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Cricket World Player of the Week - Virat Kohli

©CWM

Virat Kohli has left his indifferent form behind him and started 2023 on an ominous note for the opponents.

In the India vs Sri Lanka 3rd ODI in Thiruvananthapuram, Kohli slammed a 110-ball 166* to register his 46th ODI century and is now just three away from Sachin Tendulkar’s world record of 49 ODI tons.

Kohli had a 131-run stand with Shubman Gill for the second wicket as the young batter also struck 116. As a result, India set the visitors a target of 391 and ended up winning by a mammoth 317 runs to take the series 3-0.

It was courtesy of Kohli's blitz that India registered a 317-run win -- the biggest-ever margin of victory in ODI cricket in terms of runs. The previous biggest was New Zealand's 290-run win over Ireland in Aberdeen in 2008.

This was also Kohli’s third century in the last four ODI innings as the 34-year-old earlier scored a century in the last ODI against Bangladesh in December 2022 before bringing up another one in Guwahati.

Kohli has taken only 101 innings to score 21 ODI tons at home while Sachin took 164 innings. This was Kohli’s 10th ton against Sri Lanka, overtaking Sachin’s record of nine centuries against Australia -- the most against an opposition.

Kohli has now leapfrogged Mahela Jayawardena (12,650) to become the fifth-highest run-scorer in ODI cricket and if he carries his form, India can begin to dream with the 2023 ODI World Cup set to be hosted by the country in October-November this year.