After 17 years of playing international One-Day cricket, there are only a handful of batting records yet to be conquered by India’s maestro, Virat Kohli, but he continues to edge closer on every list with each passing innings.
His latest entry into the history books came today against Australia, when his unbeaten 74 helped India beat the hosts by nine wickets in Sydney, in what could very well be his final tour Down Under.
The 36-year-old now holds the record for the second-most runs in ODI history, surpassing Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara, one of the finest batters of his generation. Kohli’s tally stands at 14,255 ODI runs from 305 matches, while Sangakkara scored 14,234 in 404 ODIs. Only one man now stands between Kohli and the top spot, his compatriot, the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who amassed a seemingly unreachable 18,426 runs.
With Team India reportedly considering a new core for the 2027 ODI World Cup, Kohli’s quest for the record may be shortened. However, that does not take away from his remarkable career in which he has already bested Tendulkar’s records several times. Kohli’s average of 57.69 remains the highest among the top ten ODI run-scorers, underscoring his extraordinary consistency over more than a decade. His 51 centuries in the format also place him above all, highlighting his excellence.
Most ODI Runs:
| Player Name | Span | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100 | 50 | 0 | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | 1989–2012 | 463 | 452 | 41 | 18426 | 200* | 44.83 | 21368 | 86.23 | 49 | 96 | 20 | 2016 | 195 |
| Virat Kohli | 2008–2025 | 305 | 293 | 46 | 14255 | 183 | 57.71 | 15285 | 93.26 | 51 | 75 | 18 | 1332 | 152 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | 2000–2015 | 404 | 380 | 41 | 14234 | 169 | 41.98 | 18048 | 78.86 | 25 | 93 | 15 | 1385 | 88 |
| Ricky Ponting | 1995–2012 | 375 | 365 | 39 | 13704 | 164 | 42.03 | 17046 | 80.39 | 30 | 82 | 20 | 1231 | 162 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | 1989–2011 | 445 | 433 | 18 | 13430 | 189 | 32.36 | 14725 | 91.20 | 28 | 68 | 34 | 1500 | 270 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | 1998–2015 | 448 | 418 | 39 | 12650 | 144 | 33.37 | 16020 | 78.96 | 19 | 77 | 28 | 1119 | 76 |
| Inzamam-ul-Haq | 1991–2007 | 378 | 350 | 53 | 11739 | 137* | 39.52 | 15812 | 74.24 | 10 | 83 | 20 | 971 | 144 |
| Jacques Kallis | 1996–2014 | 328 | 314 | 53 | 11579 | 139 | 44.36 | 15885 | 72.89 | 17 | 86 | 17 | 911 | 137 |
| Rohit Sharma | 2007–2025 | 276 | 268 | 37 | 11370 | 264 | 49.22 | 12270 | 92.66 | 33 | 59 | 16 | 1066 | 349 |
| Sourav Ganguly | 1992–2007 | 311 | 300 | 23 | 11363 | 183 | 41.02 | 15416 | 73.70 | 22 | 72 | 16 | 1122 | 190 |
Virat Kohli’s latest milestone not only cements his place among cricket’s all-time greats, it also reflects his enduring dominance in the 50-over format, a journey defined by skill, determination, and sheer class.
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