Virat Kohli Becomes Fastest Player to Complete 28,000 International Runs, Only Behind Sachin Tendulkar in All-Time List

Virat Kohli also holds the record for being the fastest to reach several milestones, including 20,000, 25,000, 26,000 and 27,000 international runs.

Virat Kohli Becomes Fastest Player to Complete 28,000 International Runs, Only Behind Sachin Tendulkar in All-Time List

Virat Kohli is now the fastest player to hit 28,000 runs in international cricket, even ahead of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. (via NDTV Sports)

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During India’s opening ODI against New Zealand in Baroda, the legendary Virat Kohli became the fastest player to hit 28,000 runs in international cricket. With this latest achievement, Kohli also went past the previous records held by Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara.

Critics had worried that Virat Kohli would struggle to maintain his place in India’s playing XI, after he announced his retirement from Test cricket last year. He has, however, proved his enduring class in the ODI format over the last two months. Although his return to Team India colors during the Australia series started poorly with two consecutive ducks, Kohli recovered to hit an unbeaten 74 runs in the final ODI in Sydney.

In the subsequent ODI series against South Africa, Kohli silenced critics with a masterclass display that earned him the Player of the Series award, as India triumphed 2-1. He started out by smashing 135 runs off 120 balls in the series opener in Ranchi, and followed it up with another century in Raipur. He claimed the all-time record for the most centuries by a player in a single format (52 ODI hundreds).

The ex-India captain appears relentless, having recently announced his entry in the 28,000-run club during India’s first ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara. He achieved the feat with a boundary in the 13th over of India’s innings in a 301-run chase.

With a four of Aditya Ashok’s delivery, he took his overall tally to 28,001 runs, the fastest player to do so. Kohli accomplished the feat in a mere 624 innings, thereby surpassing the previous record of 644 innings held by Sachin Tendulkar.

In fact, Kohli is now only the third player in history to cross the 28,000-run mark, besides Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara. Meanwhile, the 37-year-old scored an additional 16 runs later in the innings, allowing him to overtake Sangakkara and become the all-time second-highest run-scorer in international cricket. He surpassed the Sri Lankan’s tally of 28,016 runs, which he had accumulated over 594 matches.

Despite these achievements, Kohli is still over 6,000 runs short of Tendulkar’s all-time international run record. Tendulkar’s record total of 34,357 runs was scored across 664 matches between 1989 and 2013, achieved at an average of 48.52 and includes 100 centuries.

BCA Stadium erupts as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma chants steal the show during quirky felicitation

Returning to play in Vadodara after 15 years, the Indian cricket team received a rousing reception during the ODI against New Zealand. A felicitation ceremony for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, highlighted by continuous chanting of their names, perfectly captured the excitement of the crowd.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma felicitated
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were felicitated by the BCA, ahead of India-New Zealand ODI. (via India Today)

Both Kohli and Sharma are nearing the dawn of their playing careers, having announced their retirement from Tests and T20Is. The veteran duo is now only active in the 50-over format, meaning that they will be seen in action a few times throughout the year. As such, the 35,000-strong audience at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara would not pass up the chance to see their favorite stars.

As the crowd enthusiastically chanted the names of Kohli and Sharma, the BCA seized the opportunity to honor the two Indian cricketing legends in a lighthearted manner. During the mid-innings break, the officials stuck life-sized stickers of Kohli and Sharma on a cupboard. When their names were called, the two legends emerged comically from the cupboard and were presented with flower bouquets.

BCCI president Mithun Manhas and ICC chief Jay Shah also looked on. Nonetheless, the Vadodara crowd got to see the best of Kohli, as he hit a remarkable 93 runs off 91 balls in the second innings, while Sharma was dismissed for just 26 off 29. 

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