Virat Kohli becomes the leading run-scorer in T20I cricket

The second T20I between India and South Africa, in Mohali, witnessed Virat Kohli add yet another feather to his coveted cap. Not only did his blistering knock of 72* on Wednesday evening help India sail home to a convincing victory but also made him the leading run-scorer in T20I cricket.

The feat was achieved in the 19th over when Kohli took left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin downtown for a massive six. The maximum propelled Kohli ahead of his teammate Rohit Sharma to currently crown him as the highest run-scorer in international T20 cricket with 2441 runs in 71 games. While Sharma accounts for 2434 runs (97 games), New Zealand's Martin Guptill (78 games) and Pakistan's Shoaib Malik (111 games) occupy the third and fourth spots on the list with 2283 runs and 2263 runs respectively.

Chasing 150 for a win, the Indians lost Rohit Sharma in the fourth over to set the stage for a Virat Kohli special. The Indian skipper, who had found good company in Shikhar Dhawan, spearheaded the chase in signature style. Tackling the South African bowling attack with ease, Kohli looked in top form as he went about his job at the crease to bring up his 22nd half-century in T20Is. Taking the Proteas to all parts of the ground, the run-machine stood firm till the 19th over to guide India to a 7-wicket victory and take a 1-0 lead in the series. Fittingly, the Indian captain was also adjudged as the player of the match.

Earlier, South Africa were restricted to a below-par score of 149. Barring the decent contributions from captain Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma, none of the visitors had found the going easy as India's bowlers strangled the run flow towards the death.

The two teams will next face off against each other in the third T20I at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru on 22 September.