Indian batsman Virat Kohli is on the verge of reaching several milestones in ODI cricket in the upcoming three-match series against New Zealand at home. One of the biggest records he is chasing is the second-highest number of runs in international cricket, surpassing Kumara Sangakkara.
When it comes to records in modern-day cricket, one name seems to have an unmatchable aura, and it’s none other than Indian legend Virat Kohli. Kohli has been a milestone chaser throughout his career, as he has broken many records in his illustrious career and has set many for the upcoming generations.
The New Zealand series will mark Virat’s continuation of fine form in international cricket. He dominated the South Africans at home, scoring consecutive hundreds in the series and finishing it off in some style with a half-century. He then carried his form into domestic cricket and scored a century on his return to the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Delhi and signed off with a half-century in the second game.
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Virat Kohli knocking at the door of 28000 International Runs; Kumar Sangakkara’s record on the radar
Indian legend Virat Kohli will return in India colours for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand ahead of the ICC tournament, which for the first time will not feature the Indian great in the last two decades.
Going into this series, Virat is chasing to enter the 28000 run club. He will not only be the third international cricketer to have gone past the milestone in international cricket but also the second Indian and third Asian to have achieved the record.
He is 25 runs behind from being the fastest to 28000 international runs, with 20 innings to spare for him. Next on his record books, he could officially be the second-highest run-scorer in international cricket with 42 runs. He would surpass the Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara.
Virat Kohli to beat former Australian great in ODI records at no. 3
While several batting records are on the card for Virat Kohli, as with 73 more runs, he could be the second Asian cricketer with 3000 international runs against New Zealand, and 94 runs would make him the leading scorer against New Zealand in the ODI format for India.
Kohli needs 128 more runs to become the second-highest ODI run-scorer in wins in international One-day matches and 314 runs in the entire series to become the leading run-scorer against New Zealand in the ODI format among all players in the world.
Kohli could also be the leading run-scorer at home in the ODI format with more than 350 runs in the series, but for that, he would have to have a series the same to the previous series against South Africa.
He can surpass the former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting and Jacques Kallis, the former South African all-rounder, to have the most runs at no. 3 in ODI format with 227 more runs to the tally.
Kohli is on the verge of the 100 half-century milestone
The Indian batting legend is often known as the run machine for India and also a century machine when it comes to ODI cricket. With another century, he can have the most ODI centuries across different venues in international cricket.
Kohli, with his fine form, needs a half-century to complete 100 half-centuries batting at no. 3 in international cricket. He also needs two more half-centuries in winning situations to become the cricketer with the most ODI 50s in wins for India. Overall, the series would be of massive importance for the Indian legend Virat Kohli and his survival till the ICC World Cup 2027.
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