At Eden Park in Auckland on November 4, 2026, Virat Kohlibecame the first batter in ODI history to accumulate 13,000 runs while batting at number 3. The milestone arrived during India's chase of 186 in the first ODI against New Zealand, with Kohli reaching the landmark on the 13th ball he faced in the 6.2 overs of the innings, needing just 12 more runs at the start of his knock to get there.
Kohli achieved this record in his 251st innings at number 3, having batted at that position 254 times between
2009 and 2026. Across those innings, he has maintained an average of 61.6, with a best score of 183. He has struck 48 centuries and 69 half-centuries while batting at number 3 in ODIs.
Who are the other leading run-scorers at number 3 in ODIs?
The nearest challenger on the all-time list is former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who scored 12,662 runs at number 3 across 330 innings. Ponting and Kohli are the only two batters to have crossed 10,000 ODI runs at that position.
Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka sits third on the list with 9,747 runs from 238 innings. South Africa's Jacques Kallis scored 7,774 runs from 200 innings, while New Zealand's Kane Williamson has accumulated 6,504 runs from 140 innings. Pakistan's Babar Azam has 6,054 runs from 124 innings, and England's Joe Root has scored 5,525 runs from 123 innings at that position.
Australia's Dean Jones made 5,100 runs from 131 innings at number 3, while West Indies legend Brian Lara scored 4,447 runs from 106 innings. Steve Smith of Australia has 4,369 runs from 95 innings, and Sri Lanka's Marvan Atapattu contributed 4,142 runs from 120 innings. India's Rahul Dravid rounds out the notable names with 4,000 runs from 109 innings at number 3 in ODIs.
The gap between Kohli and the rest of the list underlines how dominant his record at number 3 has been across his career. No other active batter comes close to the 13,000-run mark at that position.
What other records is Kohli chasing against New Zealand?
Heading into the first ODI at Auckland, Kohli had scored 1,909 ODI runs against New Zealand from 37 innings. Ponting holds the record for the most ODI runs against the Black Caps, having made 1,971 runs from 51 innings, meaning Kohli needed 75 more runs in this series to surpass that mark. Sachin Tendulkar scored 1,750 runs against New Zealand from 41 innings, Kumar Sangakkara made 1,568 from 45 innings, and Sanath Jayasuriya accumulated 1,519 runs from 45 innings against the Kiwis.
Kohli also needed at least 47 runs in the first ODI to complete 1,000 international runs against New Zealand. Only Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Mohammad Azharuddin have previously crossed 1,000 international runs against New Zealand for India.
