Virat Kohli in action© AFP
Star India batter Virat Kohli will be taking to the crease for the first time after January 2024 during the season opener of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK). His return has the prospect of history books being re-written sending him to the summit of an untouched record. Kohli was last seen taking part in the 3rd T20I match between India and Afghanistan in Bengaluru. After that, he missed the recently concluded five-match Test series against England.
On Friday, during the match against Chennai, if Kohli scores six runs, he will become the first Indian in history to score 12,000 runs in T20s. As of now, the former Indian skipper, who has played in 376 T20s scored 11,994 runs.
The 35-year-old will also get a chance to become the first Indian batter to smash 100 50 scores in T20s and third overall. Chris Gayle (110) and David Warner (109) stand above him on the list.
Apart from that, Kohli will get a chance to become the second batter to score 1000 runs against the Chennai-based franchise in IPL. Kohli, who has 985 runs to his name in 31 matches, needs to score just 15 runs to achieve the remarkable feat.
The 35-year-old is also the highest run-getter in IPL of all time. In 237 matches and 229 innings, the India talisman batter has scored 7263 runs at an average of 37.24, with a strike rate of 130.02. His best score is 113. He has scored seven centuries, most by a batter and 50 fifties in his IPL career.
Last season, the 35-year-old batter was the fourth-highest run-getter, piling up 639 runs at an average of 53.25 and a strike rate of 139.82. His best score was 101*. The 35-year-old scored two centuries and six fifties but could not take his side to the playoffs.
The 17th season of the IPL will start on Friday, with defending champions Chennai set to clash with Bengaluru in the Southern derby at MA Chidambaram Stadium.
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