What a special feeling. Virat Kohli, who started playing cricket due to his idol Sachin Tendulkar, now stands only behind him when it comes to most runs scored in ODI cricket.
Having scored two consecutive ducks in the India vs Australia ODI series, many had started doubting Kohli. Some were already pre-empting his retirement from international cricket. But the modern great had something else in his mind.
Kohli returns to ODIs, like fish to water
Unlike the first two matches, Kohli came out to bat when the powerplay ended in Sydney. This made all the difference. Known as the chase master, he knew exactly what to do as India needed just 237 runs to win.
The moment he entered the ground, Kohli had already flicked the chasing mode on. As usual, he rotated strike and hit the odd boundary to ensure the run rate never fell behind. Within a flash, he had scored a fifty. And by taking a single off Cooper Connolly in the 32nd over, he went past Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara to become the second-highest scorer in ODI history.
Most runs in ODIs
| Batter | Span | Inns | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 100s | 50s |
| Sachin Tendulkar (India) | 1989-2012 | 452 | 18426 | 200* | 44.83 | 86.23 | 49 | 96 |
| Virat Kohli (India) | 2008-2025 | 293 | 14234 | 183 | 57.62 | 93.23 | 51 | 75 |
| Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) | 2000-2015 | 380 | 14234 | 169 | 41.98 | 78.86 | 25 | 93 |
| Ricky Ponting (Australia) | 1995-2012 | 365 | 13704 | 164 | 42.03 | 80.39 | 30 | 82 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) | 1989-2011 | 433 | 13430 | 189 | 32.36 | 91.20 | 28 | 68 |
This was Kohli’s 42nd fifty in chases and 70th score of over fifty in ODIs. Chasing comes naturally to him, and perhaps that’s why he needed to get things going. He’s got the monkey off his back now, and better things are to be expected in the upcoming South Africa series.
