Virat Kohli Surpasses Sangakkara To Become Second-Highest Run-Scorer In International Cricket

Virat Kohli added one more record to his name during the first ODI between India and New Zealand at the BCA Stadium, Vadodara, on Sunday, January 11. Batting at no. 3, Kohli climbed to second place on the list of all-time international run-scorers.

In the process, Kohli went past Sri Lanka great Kumar Sangakkara after scoring a half-century in the series opener. Only Sachin Tendulkar remains ahead of him in the list, with 34,357 runs from 782 innings.

Heading into the match, Kohli needed 25 runs to reach 28,000 international runs and 42 runs to overtake Sangakkara’s career tally of 28,016. He achieved the first landmark in the 13th over of India’s chase of 301, before moving past Sangakkara in the 19th over.

Other than going past Sangakkara’s record, Kohli also marked the day with a brilliant 44-ball half-century, which included six boundaries. His strike partner, Shubman Gill, also reached a fifty of his own.

Kohli Fastest To 28,000 Runs

With his showing against New Zealand, Kohli also rewrote the record books by becoming the fastest batter in international cricket history to reach 28,000 runs.

Kohli achieved the feat in 624 innings, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s mark of 644 innings. Sangakkara is third on the list, having reached the milestone in 666 innings.

If Kohli can convert his good start to a century, he will go one step closer to breaking another one of Tendulkar’s records. Tendulkar has 100 international centuries, while Kohli trails behind with 84 tons.