Virat Kohli etched his name into the record books once again, becoming the fastest batter to reach 15,000 runs in Men’s ODIs during the first match against West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram.
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He got to the landmark in style with a stylish pull for a boundary in the 29th over of the chase off the bowling of Alzarri Joseph.
Kohli became only the second batter after his idol Sachin Tendulkar to cross the 15,000-run mark in the format.
He reached the landmark in just 315 innings, having already been the fastest to get to 8,000, 9,000, 10,000, 11,000, 12,000, 13,000 and 14,000 ODI runs.
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Combining technical precision with exceptional fitness, Kohli has built a career on finding ways to score runs across conditions and situations. His ability to pace an innings and deliver in challenging chases has earned him the tag of ‘Chase Master’.
Kohli has featured in four ICC Men’s Cricket World Cups, winning the title in 2011. His 2023 campaign was particularly remarkable, as he finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 765 runs, including three centuries and six half-centuries. During the semi-final against New Zealand, he also became the first batter to score 50 ODI centuries.
Most runs in Men’s ODIs
Player |
Matches |
|
|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar (India) | 463 | 18426 |
| Virat Kohli (India) | 315 | 15080 |
| Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) | 404 | 14234 |
| Ricky Ponting (Australia) | 375 | 13704 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) | 445 | 13430 |
| Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) | 448 | 12650 |
| Rohit Sharma (India) | 289 | 11927 |
| Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pakistan) | 378 | 11739 |
| Jacques Kallis (<a href="https://absafricatv.com/refugees-in-south-africa-fear-new-attacks-as-september-30-deadline-looms/" title="Refugees in <a href="https://absafricatv.com/australia-suffer-odi-series-defeat-to-south-africa-as-david-miller-and-temba-bavuma-both-hit-hundreds/" title="Australia suffer ODI series defeat to South Africa as David Miller and Temba Bavuma both hit hundreds”>South Africa fear new attacks as September 30 deadline looms”>South Africa) | 328 | 11579 |
| Sourav Ganguly (India) | 311 | 11363 |
With 1,795 runs in 37 World Cup matches at an average of 59.83, including five centuries and 12 half-centuries, Kohli has been one of the most prolific batters in the tournament’s history.
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Having retired from Test and T20I cricket, Kohli has set his sights firmly on the 2027 ODI World Cup. He has confirmed that it will be his final World Cup representing India and remains determined to help the team lift the trophy.
“For me, it’s the last World Cup I’m going to play for India. And that is my motivation.
“And of course, the goal is absolutely to win the World Cup. And whatever it takes, I’m absolutely ready,” Kohli told JioStar in an interview.
Kohli has made no secret of his desire to continue winning matches for India, with his personal ambitions closely tied to the team’s success.
“I’ve always been someone who, every game that we play, I want to be the guy who wins us the game, so that’s never going to go away from me. I am made that way,” Kohli said.
“So my goal (at the World Cup) is to win as many games as I can for the team – 60-70% of the games would be phenomenal.
“My dream is to play a match-winning, finishing knock in the finals, like chasing a score. That’s the ideal scenario. If it happens, great. If it doesn’t happen, we win the World Cup, I’ll be happy.”
