- Mahela Jayawardene praised Virat Kohli for surpassing him
- The milestone was reached by Kohli when he scored 16 runs in India’s seventh over, breaking Jayawardene’s previous record of 1016 runs
- With 220 runs, including three half-centuries in four games, the former India captain currently has the most runs scored at the T20 World Cup
Mahela Jayawardene, former captain of Sri Lanka, praised Virat Kohli for surpassing him on Wednesday during India’s Super 12 match against Bangladesh in Adelaide to become the Men’s T20 World Cup’s all-time leading run-scorer.
The milestone was reached by Kohli when he scored 16 runs in India’s seventh over, breaking Jayawardene’s previous record of 1016 runs. The Indian batsman has 1065 runs in T20 World Cups with an average of 88.75 and a strike rate of more than 132.46 after his game-winning innings (64 not out off 44) against Bangladesh.
In only his 23rd innings, the 33-year-old, who was competing in his fifth T20 World Cup and had already scored 12 half-centuries, became the competition’s highest run-getter. While he faced fewer balls (754 balls) than Kohli did, Jayawardene needed to play 31 innings to set his record (773).
“Records are meant to be broken. Someone was always going to break my record, and it’s you, Virat. Brilliant mate, congratulations. You’ve always been a warrior,” Jayawardene said in a video posted by the ICC.
“Form is temporary but class is permanent. Very well done, buddy,” he added.
With 220 runs, including three half-centuries in four games, the former India captain currently has the most runs scored at the T20 World Cup.
“It was a closer game than we would have liked. It was another good day with the bat. I am happy the World Cup is in Australia because I can play my shots here. I love playing in Adelaide. I feel at home and want to keep batting,” Kohli, who was named man of the match, said
India’s final Super 12 game will be against Zimbabwe on Sunday after they defeated Bangladesh.
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