Virat Kohli, Steve Smith Achieve Unique Milestone After WTC Final 2023 At Oval

The 109-run stand between Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur is also the first time an Indian pair recorded a three-figure stand against Australia at a neutral venue, other than Pakistan.

Written by: India.com Sports Desk

Published: June 13, 2023, 1:47 AM IST

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Steve Smith and Virat Kohli. (Image: Twitter)

New Delhi: Coincidences are rare in a game of cricket. Following Australia’s maiden World Test Championship (WTC) title after beating India by 209 runs at the Oval in London on Sunday, Virat Kohli and Steve Smith came up with an unique record at the end of the game.

Both the batters ended with an identical number of run and also completed 2000 runs against each other in the same Test. This is perhaps the only occasion in the history of Test cricket such thing has happened.

Kohli’s aggregate runs against Australia read 2042 at the end of the WTC final 2023. He completed 2000 runs against Australia in the same Test. Smith’s run aggregate against India read 2042 at the end of this Test. He also completed 2000 runs against India in this Test.

While Smith scored a century in the first innings of the Test match, Kohli’s highest in the game was 49 during India’s second innings. With this win, Australia also completed the ICC Trophy cabinet. They now have won ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup, Champions Trophy and WTC.

Meanwhile, Kohli’s teammate and comeback man Ajinkya Rahane too completed few milestones during the Test. Let’s take a look at them.

• Ajinkya Rahane became the seventh Indian fielder other than the wicketkeepers to pouch 100 catches, when he caught Pat Cummins off Mohammed Siraj for nine in Australia’s first innings.
• Ajinkya Rahane became the sixth Indian fielder other than the wicketkeepers to pouch 20-plus catches against Australia, when he caught Pat Cummins off Mohammed Siraj for nine in Australia’s first innings.
• Ajinkya Rahane completed 5000 runs of his Test career when he was on 69 during the course of his knock of 89 in the first innings of this Test. At the end of just concluded Test, his aggregate read 5066. He became the thirteenth Indian batter to score 5000-plus Test runs.
• Ajinkya Rahane-Shardul Thakur posted runs for the seventh wicket to provide the 15th occasion of batters posting a three-figure partnership in an innings against Australia in a Test played at neutral venue.
• It is interesting to note that of the 15 three-figure partnerships posted in a test against Australia at a neutral venue, 14 are by Pakistan batters. Thus India became the first team to post a three-figure partnership against Australia at a neutral venue, other than Pakistan.

(Stats provided by cricket statistician Gopalakrishna Ramaswamy. He is the recipient of Dasara Kreeda Prashasthi in 1989 and Rajyotsava Prashasthi in 2010 from Government of Karnataka. Ramaswamy is also a former member of the Statistical Committee of BCCI)