Vadodara, January 11:
Indian batting icon Virat Kohli once again proved why he is regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time. During the first ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara, Kohli delivered a composed and classy innings, rewriting several records in international cricket.
Chasing a challenging target of 301 runs, India needed stability after an early wicket. Kohli walked in with confidence and controlled the innings with smart shot selection and excellent strike rotation. He scored a brilliant 93 runs off 91 balls, narrowly missing out on a century but leaving a massive impact on the match.
Kohli Enters Elite 28,000-Run Club
With this knock, Virat Kohli became only the third batter in cricket history to complete 28,000 international runs, joining legends Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara.
Fastest Player To Reach 28,000 International Runs
Kohli reached the milestone in just 624 innings, making him the fastest cricketer ever to achieve the feat, surpassing Tendulkar and Sangakkara by a significant margin.
Second-Highest Run Scorer In International Cricket
During the innings, Kohli also went past Kumar Sangakkara’s tally of international runs, moving into second place on the all-time list. Only Sachin Tendulkar now remains ahead of him.
Record At No.3 Continues To Grow
Batting at his preferred No.3 position, Kohli overtook Sangakkara to register the most ODI half-centuries at No.3, highlighting his unmatched consistency in the format.
He also completed 100 half-centuries across formats while batting at No.3, a rare achievement previously reached by only Ricky Ponting and Kumar Sangakkara.
Strong Partnership With Shubman Gill
Kohli stitched a crucial 118-run partnership with Shubman Gill for the second wicket, which now stands among India’s top five second-wicket partnerships against New Zealand in ODIs.
Consistency Like No Other
This innings marked the fifth time in Kohli’s career that he has scored five consecutive 50-plus scores in ODIs, underlining his longevity and hunger for runs.
Another Milestone Against New Zealand
Kohli also became the fifth player in history to score 3,000 international runs against New Zealand, joining an elite group of global greats.
