Team India has looked next to unstoppable in the ongoing series against South Africa. The Men in Blue have thoroughly outplayed the hosts in the first three One-Day Internationals and will be desperate to continue the red-hot form in the upcoming fourth ODI. The fourth match of the series will be played on February 10 in Johannesburg.
India has not looked back since winning the third and final Test in Johannesburg. The Virat Kohli-led side won the first ODI by six wickets. Chasing 269, India reached the target inside 46 overs. In the following game, they bundled out the Proteas for just 118 runs before chasing it down by losing just one wicket. The juggernaut continued in the third ODI too.
Riding on skipper Kohli’s exquisite knock of 160 not out, the Men in Blue posted a massive 303 for 6. In reply, the hosts were all out for just 179. With form and momentum on their side, India will be desperate to win the upcoming fourth ODI.
Meanwhile, there are several records that the Men in Blue can achieve in the upcoming game and here are a gist of those milestones awaiting the team and the players.
First series win in South Africa:
Team India is just one match away from creating history in South Africa. No other Indian team in the past has won a bilateral ODI series in South Africa but the current side can break that duck.
In the past, India had lost 5-2 in 1992-93, 4-0 in 2006-07, 3-2 in 2010-11, and 2-0 in 2013-14. However, the Virat Kohli-led side is now on the cusp of victory. India is currently leading the six-match series 3-0 and a win in the upcoming fourth ODI will help them create history.
Ten consecutive wins:
A win in the fourth ODI will help the Kohli-led side register its tenth consecutive victory in the 50-over format outside India. The chain of wins had started on the West Indies tour in July last year. India had won the series 3-1 and had ended up on the victorious side in the last match of the series. It was then followed by a 5-0 whitewash in Sri Lanka.
Dhoni 88 runs short of completing 10,000 runs in ODIs:
MS Dhoni will have the chance of becoming just the third Indian batsman to reach the 10,000-run mark in the 50-over format. In 315 games so far, Dhoni has amassed 9912 runs.
Another record awaits Virat Kohli:
If Kohli maintains his red-hot form and slams another century in the upcoming game then he will add yet another feather to his cap. Another ton will help Kohli go level with AB de Villiers who has scored 13 centuries as ODI captain.
Kohli’s ton in the third ODI has already helped him go past Sourav Ganguly and become the India ODI skipper with most centuries. Kohli has so far scored 12 centuries as captain in the 50-over format.
Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting leads the list with 22 centuries.
Rahane on brink of completing 3,000 ODI runs:
The upcoming game will provide Ajinkya Rahane an opportunity to become the 20th Indian player to cross the 3,000-run mark in ODIs. The right-handed batsman has so far scored 2912 runs in 87 ODIs and needs 88 runs to complete the milestone.
