Kohli plays down joining 28,000-club, narrowly missing out on century against NZ: ‘Not thinking about milestones'

On a day when he pulled off an extraordinary feat achieved only by two individuals in the history of the game, and smashed a record for the same, Virat Kohli reiterated the fact that he isn’t too concerned by milestones, and that playing according to the situation and helping his team win are ultimately what matter to him.

Kohli starred in India's thrilling four-wicket victory in the first ODI against New Zealand with a 91-ball 93, narrowly missing out on his 54th ODI century. And during the course of his knock, the 35-year-old became only the third batter to complete 28, 000 international runs after Sachin Tendulkar (34,357) and Kumar Sangakkara (28,016), as well as the fastest to the milestone by achieving it in just 624 innings.

🚨 Milestone Alert 🚨

Virat Kohli is now the second highest run-getter in international cricket (Men's) 🫡

Updates ▶️ https://t.co/OcIPHEpvjr#TeamIndia | #INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/vf3Yr8FYhG

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 11, 2026

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Shortly after the feat, Kohli surpassed Sangakkara’s career tally to become the second-highest run-scorer across formats in international cricket.

‘I had to play the situation’

Kohli, however, missed out on a century – which could have been his third in his last four outings – after chipping the ball towards mid off off Kyle Jamieson’s bowling when the visitors were very much in sight of the target with plenty of wickets in hand.

“If I am being brutally honest, the way I’m playing right now, I’m not thinking about milestones at all. If we were batting first, I probably would’ve gone harder. But in a chase, with a total on the board, I had to play the situation. I felt like hitting more boundaries, but experience kicks in. The only thing on my mind was getting the team into a position where we could win comfortably,” Kohli said during the post-match presentation ceremony after accepting the Player of the Match award.

“The basic idea is I bat at number three, if the situation is tricky, I back myself to counterattack rather than just waiting around. Any ball can have your name on it, so there’s no point being passive. At the same time, you don’t play outrageous shots - you stick to your strengths.

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“Today, when I walked in after Rohit got out, I felt if I pushed hard in the first 20 balls, we could put the opposition on the back foot. That ended up making the difference,” he added, talking about his approach in the series opener at the Kotambi Stadium, which hosted its first ever men’s international match on Sunday.

Gill happy to be back among the runs after World Cup snub

Shubman Gill, making his debut as white-ball captain on home soil on Sunday, was happy to be among the runs again with a well-crafted half-century. Especially after being overlooked for the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand as well as the T20 World Cup that India will be co-hosting with Sri Lanka starting next month.

“Definitely, it felt really good to contribute in a chase. the most important thing is staying in the present. As a sportsperson, you have to focus on what’s in front of you and what the situation demands at that moment - that’s what helps you handle both the highs and the disappointments, that’s what I try to do.

“The way he’s (Kohli) striking the ball at the moment makes things look so easy, even on a surface like this where it wasn’t easy to start, he made it look easy,” Gill added during the post-match presentation.

The two teams had to Rajkot, also located in the state of Gujarat, where the second match will be taking place at the Niranjan Shah Stadium on Wednesday.