Virat Kohli set to break Sachin Tendulkar’s record as he nears 28,000 international runs

Virat Kohli will have an opportunity to create history when he takes the field in the first ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara, as he closes in on a major international batting milestone.

Kohli is just 25 runs away from becoming the fastest batter to reach 28,000 runs in international cricket. If achieved, he will be only the third player to cross the mark after Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara. Kohli has scored 27,975 runs in 623 innings, while Tendulkar reached the milestone in his 644th innings and Sangakkara in his 666th innings.

Strong form across formats

Kohli has been in impressive form since returning to international cricket during the Australia tour in October last year. After beginning the tour with two ducks, he has since produced consistent performances. In the recent ODI series against South Africa, he scored two centuries and followed it up with another hundred in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.


So far in his international career, Kohli has scored 14,557 runs in ODIs, 9,230 runs in Tests and 4,188 runs in T20Is. He has registered 53 centuries in ODIs, 30 in Tests and one in T20Is, along with 145 fifties across formats.

India squad for New Zealand ODIs

The Board of Control for Cricket in India recently announced the squad for the ODI series against New Zealand, making several notable selections. Shubman Gill has returned as captain, while Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah have been rested. Despite speculation over Mohammed Shami’s return, the selectors opted for Mohammed Siraj.

Shreyas Iyer has been included after recovering from injury, while Rishabh Pant has retained his place despite concerns over form.

The India squad comprises Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain, subject to fitness clearance), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh and Yashasvi Jaiswal.