Virat Kohli continues to stretch the limits of cricketing excellence. On Wednesday (January 14), the Indian maestro added yet another landmark to his illustrious career, becoming India's highest run-getter in One-Day Internationals against New Zealand.
Kohli, who recently reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the ICC ODI Batting Rankings after more than four years, needed just a single run to surpass Sachin Tendulkar's record tally of 1750 runs versus the Black Caps. He crossed the milestone in trademark style, punching Kristian Clarke's first delivery through the off side for a boundary during the second ODI in Rajkot.
Tendulkar accumulated his runs across 42 ODIs, while Kohli reached the mark in only his 35th appearance against New Zealand - a testament
to his consistency and mastery in the format. By doing so, Kohli also became the highest run-scorer in ODIs played between the two nations, overtaking every Indian before him. The only player ahead of him on the all-time list is Australia's Ricky Ponting, who sits at the top with 1971 runs from 51 matches against the Kiwis.
At the time of writing this article, India were batting at 135/4 after 28 overs of play. Kohli managed just 23 runs this time around before getting castled by Kristian Clarke.
This purple patch comes at a time when Kohli has reclaimed the top position in the ICC ODI Batting Rankings, rising above Daryl Mitchell and Rohit Sharma after a string of prolific innings against South Africa and New Zealand. At 37, Kohli is proving that age is merely a number as he continues to redefine batting excellence, break records with ease, and elevate India's dominance in the 50-over format.
