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.
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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.
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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.
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The Milestone Moment: Kohli surpassed Sangakkara in the 13th over, hitting a boundary off debutant leg-spinner Adithya Ashok.
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Key Partnerships: A 118-run stand with captain Shubman Gill (56) and a crucial 77-run partnership with Shreyas Iyer (49).
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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.
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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.
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Target 2027: Kohli and Rohit Sharma (38) are both reportedly aiming for the 2027 ODI World Cup as their final swan song.
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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.
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“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
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