Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli break Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravids record in 1st ODI against South Africa
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma broke Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid's record with their 392nd appearance together for India in the 1st ODI against South Africa in the first ODI in Ranchi.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma shattered Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid's record for the most matches for India as a pair after taking the field in the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi on Sunday. Kohli and Rohit have now played 392 matches together, the most by any pair for India in international cricket.
The superstar duo were named in India's playing XI after South Africa won the toss and invited India to bat first in the opener of the three-match series at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi on Sunday. While Kohli is playing his 306th ODI for India, Rohit is making his 277th appearance for the Men in Blue in the one-day format.
The duo have together played 392 matches together across formats in international cricket. They went past Tendulkar and Dravid, who played 391 matches for India together across all formats between 1996 to 2012. While Tendulkar made his international debut for India in 1989, Dravid played his first match for the country in April 1996.
Indian pairs with most international matches together:
Virat Kohli / Rohit Sharma – 392 Matches
Sachin Tendulkar / Rahul Dravid – 391 Matches
Rahul Dravid / Sourav Ganguly – 369 Matches
Sachin Tendulkar / Anil Kumble – 367 Matches
Sachin Tendulkar / Sourav Ganguly – 341 Matches
Virat Kohli / Ravindra Jadeja – 309 Matches
Tendulkar and Dravid featured in 146 Test matches and 245 ODI matches for India together. On the other hand, Kohli and Rohit have played 60 Tests, 226 ODIs and 106 T20I matches together for India so far. The duo continues to go strong and can comfortably surpass the 400-match mark together if they continue playing for India.
Overall, Sri Lanka legends Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara hold the record for the most matches played together in international cricket. The duo played 550 matches together for Sri Lanka in the three formats combined.
Rohit and Kohli aim to be among the runs against South Africa:
Rohit and Kohli will be aiming to be among the runs in the ongoing three-match ODI series against South Africa after finishing on a high in the ODI series against Australia last month. While Rohit slammed an unbeaten ton, Kohli scored an unbeaten 74 in the final third ODI to help India beat Australia by 9 wickets in Sydney. The duo will be looking to continue their purple patch against the Proteas.