IND vs SA, WC 2019: Virat Kohli on the verge of attaining historical feat to join Dhoni, Ganguly in elite list

If India defeat South Africa in their CWC 2019 opener, it will be Kohli’s 50th ODI victory as the captain. The 30-year-old will become the fourth India skipper to attain this glorious milestone.

India skipper Virat Kohli will be leading India as the captain in an ODI World Cup for the first time and fans across the world want the ‘new era’ skipper to win the mega clash against Proteas, today. Kohli is dubbed as the best batsman of this era but this edition of the World Cup will define his legacy as a leader, an aspect on which the jury is still out despite some heady achievements in the Test arena. Moreover, the Indian skipper has the opportunity to add another milestone in the record books. If India defeat South Africa in their CWC 2019 opener, it will be Kohli’s 50th ODI victory as the captain. The 30-year-old will become the fourth India skipper to attain this glorious milestone after MS Dhoni, Mohammed Azharuddin and Sourav Ganguly. Currently, MS Dhoni tops the list with 110 wins. While addressing the media on the eve of INDvsSA match, Kohli said team India has learnt from mistakes of the 2017 Champions Trophy final against Pakistan and introducing a wrist spinners in the side was a step in that direction. “The lessons from the Champions Trophy -- is to play the cricket we know how to play. In the final, the better side won. We have plugged the gaps. We brought in wrist spinners to take wickets in the middle overs. We are a stronger side than Champions Trophy side.” Kohli also looked confident and said India have a good chance of winning their group stage games. “The first week has been gradual progress. A couple of lopsided games, a couple of one-sided games. There is a lot to learn about composure. The teams that are more composed have better chances of winning games, have better chances of handling pressure,” the Indian skipper expressed. “We need to bring our experience into play to make better decisions tomorrow. The team that can handle pressure better will win the tournament,” he added.