In a historic night at the Kotambi International Stadium in Vadodara, Virat Kohli cemented his legacy on January 11, 2026, by becoming the second-highest run-scorer in the history of international cricket.
Add businessleague.in as a Preferred Source
His match-winning 93 off 91 balls in the 1st ODI against New Zealand propelled him past Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara, leaving only the “Master Blaster” Sachin Tendulkar ahead of him.
Also Read | North India Deep Freeze 2026: Sub-Zero Temps & Historic Lows in Delhi-NCR
1. The All-Time Leaderboard (All Formats)
Kohli reached the milestone in just 624 innings, making him the fastest player ever to cross the 28,000-run mark, shattering Tendulkar’s previous record of 644 innings.
| Rank | Player | Runs | Matches | Centuries |
| 1 | Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 34,357 | 664 | 100 |
| 2 | Virat Kohli (IND) | 28,068 | 557 | 84 |
| 3 | Kumar Sangakkara (SL) | 28,016 | 594 | 63 |
| 4 | Ricky Ponting (AUS) | 27,483 | 560 | 71 |
| 5 | Mahela Jayawardene (SL) | 25,957 | 652 | 54 |
2. Match Highlights: IND vs NZ 1st ODI
Chasing a challenging target of 301, Kohli anchored the Indian innings with a masterclass in controlled aggression.
The Milestone Moment: Kohli surpassed Sangakkara in the 13th over, hitting a boundary off debutant leg-spinner Adithya Ashok.
Key Partnerships: A 118-run stand with captain Shubman Gill (56) and a crucial 77-run partnership with Shreyas Iyer (49).
The Finish: Despite a late flutter where India slipped to 242/5, KL Rahul (29)* and Harshit Rana (29) saw the team home with 4 wickets and 6 balls to spare.
Also Read | North India Deep Freeze 2026: Sub-Zero Temps & Historic Lows in Delhi-NCR
3. The “One-Format” Specialist
At 37, Kohli has entered a new phase of his career. Following his retirement from T20Is (2023) and Test Cricket (May 2025), he is now focusing exclusively on the 50-over format.
Target 2027: Kohli and Rohit Sharma (38) are both reportedly aiming for the 2027 ODI World Cup as their final swan song.
New Approach: Kohli revealed a “counter-attacking” strategy for his first 20 balls to put pressure on bowlers immediately, moving away from his traditional slow-burn starts.
Also Read | North India Deep Freeze 2026: Sub-Zero Temps & Historic Lows in Delhi-NCR
“If I look back at my whole journey, then it is nothing short of a dream-come-true for me. I’m not thinking about milestones; the only thing on my mind was getting the team into a position where we could win comfortably.” — Virat Kohli
Also Read | North India Deep Freeze 2026: Sub-Zero Temps & Historic Lows in Delhi-NCR
Add businessleague.in as a Preferred Source
