Virat Kohli is now the second-highest run-getter in international cricket. The 37-year-old right-handed batter from Delhi leapfrogged Kumar Sangakkara on Sunday (January 11) to become the second-highest run getter.
Kohli needed 42 runs in the ongoing first India-New Zealand ODI at BCA Stadium in Vadodara to go past Sangakkara’s tally of 28,016 runs, and he achieved the objective during the 19th over of India’s innings in the 301-run chase.
Kohli finished his Test career with 9230 runs in 123 matches and T20I career with 4188 runs in 125 matches. In ODIs, he has scored 14,599* runs so far in 309 matches.
Virat Kohli’s record for India
| FORMAT | MATCHES | INNINGS | RUNS | 100/50s |
| Tests | 123 | 210 | 9230 | 30/31 |
| ODIs | 309* | 297* | 14,599* | 53/76 |
| T20Is | 125 | 117 | 4188 | 1/38 |
| Total | 557* | 624* | 28,017* | 84/145 |
Only Sachin Tendulkar is ahead of Kohli now in the list of batters with the most runs in international cricket.
Tendulkar played a total of 664 matches for India from 1989 to 2013 and scored 34,357 runs. He played 200 Tests and scored 15,921 runs. In 463 ODIs, Tendulkar slammed 18,426 runs, and in his only T20I match against South Africa on December 1, 2006, he got out after scoring 10 runs from 12 balls.
Most runs in international cricket
| Player | Country | Matches | Innings | Runs | Highest | Average | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 664 | 782 | 34,357 | 248* | 48.52 | 100 | 164 |
| Virat Kohli | India | 557* | 624* | 28,017* | 254* | 52.58 | 84 | 145 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 594 | 666 | 28,016 | 319 | 46.77 | 63 | 153 |
| Ricky Ponting | Australia | 560 | 668 | 27,483 | 257 | 45.95 | 71 | 146 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | Sri Lanka | 652 | 725 | 25,957 | 374 | 39.15 | 54 | 136 |
| Jacques Kallis | South Africa | 519 | 617 | 25,534 | 224 | 49.10 | 62 | 149 |
| Rahul Dravid | India | 509 | 605 | 24,208 | 270 | 45.41 | 48 | 146 |
| Brian Lara | West Indies | 430 | 521 | 22,358 | 400* | 46.28 | 53 | 111 |
| Joe Root | England | 381 | 503 | 22,166 | 262 | 49.36 | 60 | 114 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | Sri Lanka | 586 | 651 | 21,032 | 340 | 34.14 | 42 | 103 |
If Kohli, who has scored two centuries and two fifties in his last four ODI innings for India, manages to score at least 94 runs in the ongoing match for the Shubman Gill-led side, then he will become India’s highest run-getter in ODIs against New Zealand.
As of now, Tendulkar tops the list of batters with the most runs in India-New Zealand ODIs, but Kohli can break Tendulkar’s record on Sunday night.
Most runs in India-New Zealand ODIs
| PLAYER | COUNTRY | MATCHES | RUNS |
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 42 | 1750 |
| Virat Kohli | India | 34* | 1699* |
| Ross Taylor | New Zealand | 35 | 1385 |
| Kane Williamson | New Zealand | 31 | 1239 |
| Nathan Astle | New Zealand | 29 | 1207 |
The overall record of scoring the most runs in ODIs against the Kiwis is in the name of former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting. Ponting played 51 ODIs against the Black Caps and in 50 innings scored 1971 runs.
