Indian Batting Dominance Shines in Cardiff ODI

The second ODI of the England series, staged at Sophia Gardens, showcased Virat Kohli’s ability to rewrite history. Scoring 65 runs from 66 balls with eight boundaries, Kohli recorded his 30th fifty against the four dominant Test nations – a benchmark no other Indian has reached. Rahul Dravid is second with 29, while Sachin Tendulkar holds third place with 25.

Kohli also eclipsed Kumar Sangakkara to claim the record for most ODI runs on opponent home grounds, tallying 5,538 versus Sangakkara’s 5,518. Ricky Ponting (5,090) and Sachin Tendulkar (5,065) complete the top‑four.

The innings took Kohli past the 8,000‑run milestone for ODIs played abroad, making him the third Indian after Tendulkar (11,450) and Saurav Ganguly (8,111).

With 33 fifty‑plus scores against England, Kohli now tops the Indian chart, ahead of Tendulkar (32), Dravid (26), Dhoni (24) and Gavaskar (23).

India, having lost the toss, managed 233 runs in 44 overs. Shreyas Iyer contributed a crisp 66, while Kohli added 65. England’s bowlers Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson each claimed three wickets, turning the match in England’s favour.