Virat Kohli Reaches 15,000 ODI Runs; Becomes Second Batter After Tendulkar

Virat Kohli entered the 15,000-run club in men’s ODI cricket on Sunday, becoming the second player after Sachin Tendulkar to achieve the feat. He reached the milestone as India chased a target of 296 in the opening match against the West Indies.

The 37-year-old brought up the landmark in the 29th over, turning a short delivery from Alzarri Joseph into a pull shot that sped towards the deep midwicket boundary.

Spectators at Greenfield International Stadium rose to applaud the Indian batter.

Kohli paused to acknowledge the crowd by lifting his bat, then shared a glove punch and embrace with ODI captain Shubman Gill. He soon resumed batting as India continued its pursuit of the target.

Kohli took only 315 innings to reach 15,000 ODI runs, having made his debut against Sri Lanka in August 2008.

Tendulkar needed 350 innings to reach the same total in 2007, before retiring in 2012 with 18,426 runs across 463 matches.

Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka remains the next batter on the all-time list, with 14,234 runs.

Former captains Ricky Ponting and Sanath Jayasuriya follow with 13,704 and 13,430 runs, respectively.

Kohli has set the fastest-innings records for reaching 8,000 through 14,000 ODI runs. He passed 10,000 in 205 innings in 2018, having advanced from 9,000 to that mark in just 11 innings.

Kohli moved beyond Tendulkar’s tally of 49 ODI hundreds with his 50th century in the 2023 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. His total has since climbed to 54 centuries, the highest number by any batter in one international format.

The latest run milestone adds another achievement to Kohli’s ODI career as India continues its chase in Thiruvananthapuram.

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