 "Virat Kohli with former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. Image: Reuters")
Indian cricket superstar Virat Kohli is considered one of the greatest ODI batters of the modern-day era. The 36-year-old has achieved many milestones during his 17-year-long international career. Kohli’s biggest achievement came during the 2023 Cricket World Cup when he surpassed the legendary Sachin Tendulkar to become the batter with the most number of ODI centuries under his belt.
Can Kohli break Tendulkar’s record at Champions Trophy 2025?
Kohli is now on the verge of making history at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 . The former India captain needs just 37 more runs to join an elite club of batters who have surpassed 14,000 runs in ODI cricket. This feat will help him enter the list with only two players currently in it - Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara.
Kohli, who currently has 13,963 runs in 285 ODI innings, is well on track to become the fastest batter in history to reach the 14,000-run mark. If Kohli manages to achieve this milestone in his next 65 innings, he will set a new global record for the fewest innings required to reach the landmark.
The record for the fastest batter to 14,000 ODI runs is currently held by Sachin Tendulkar, who took 350 innings to reach the milestone. Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara achieved the feat in 378 innings. However, given his current form, Kohli is expected to reach the milestone in India’s very first match of the Champions Trophy 2025.
Kohli boasts an exceptional record across all formats, but his dominance in ODIs is unparalleled, with an impressive average of nearly 58. He has the best batting average among the top 10 run-scorers in ODI cricket. Kohli also has the best strike rate of 93.52 in the lot.
Kohli recently scored a brilliant half-century during the third ODI against England in Ahmedabad. He is expected to carry the good form into the marquee ICC event, slated to start for India on 20 February. India will play their opening game against Bangladesh, followed by a clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on 23 February. India’s final group-stage game is scheduled against New Zealand on 2 March. India will play all its matches in Dubai.