T20 World Cup 2022: Jayawardene Praises Virat Kohli, Says ‘Class Is Permanent'
Virat Kohli surpassed Mahela Jayawardene to become the all-time leading run-scorer in the ICC Men's T20 WC history.
India's Virat Kohli became the leading run-scorer in ICC Men's T20 World Cup history.
(Photo: Twitter/BCCI)
Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene heaped praise on Virat Kohli, who on Wednesday, 2 November, surpassed him to become the all-time leading run-scorer in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup history during India's Super 12 match against Bangladesh in Adelaide.
Kohli reached the milestone when he crossed 16 runs in the seventh over of India's innings, going Jayawardene's record tally of 1016 runs. After his match-winning knock (64 not out off 44) versus Bangladesh, the Indian batter now has 1065 runs with an average of 88.75 and a strike rate of more than 130 in T20 World Cups.
In comparison, Jayawardene had played 31 innings to set his record, though he faced fewer balls (754 balls) than Kohli did (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 shared by the ICC.
"Form is temporary but class is permanent. Very well done, buddy," he added.
I Feel at Home: Virat Kohli
The former India skipper is also currently the highest run-scorer at the ongoing T20 World Cup with 220 runs including three half-centuries in four matches.
"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," said Kohli, who was named man of the match.
After beating Bangladesh, India will now face Zimbabwe in their last Super 12 game on Sunday, 6 November.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)