“Run! Forrest Run!” is a famous line from the Oscar-winning movie Forrest Gump. Jenny would say this to Forrest whenever he was teased by his peers or older siblings. Forrest was her childhood friend, and she later became very fond of him. In cricket, where is the bowler who can tease Kohli? So, Anushka Sharma doesn’t have to shout from the gallery like Jenny, “Run! Kohli Run!” But it is also impossible to say that she never had to think it. If there was ever a fear of run-outs, Anushka must have chanted something like that in her mind.
Kohli did not disappoint her much. In his international career of 616 innings, he has been run out only 22 times out of 527 dismissals. The 36-year-old Kohli is still in great shape. His body is strong, and his running between the wickets is outstanding. Take the Champions Trophy semi-final in Dubai. He played a match-winning inning of 84 runs off 98 balls in India’s 6-wicket win against Australia. Only 20 runs came from boundaries—5 fours. The rest were singles and doubles—56 singles and 4 doubles. Even at this age, his fitness and hunger for runs are clear from these numbers. However, Kohli himself may not have realized how far he has come just by running.
Kohli’s Running Legacy in Cricket
In the movie Forrest Gump, Forrest ran so far that he left his home state, Alabama, behind. After running for two years and becoming famous, he suddenly stopped one day, looked back, and saw many followers behind him. Kohli may experience something similar at the end of his career, realizing that many young cricketers have followed his style of running and scoring runs. Why? At least in ODIs, no one matches Kohli in running between the wickets, and the statistics prove it.
Kohli Tops the Singles Chart
During the India-Australia match yesterday, TV graphics showed that Kohli is the leading run-scorer in singles (1 run) since January 1, 2000. There is no complete ball-by-ball data for matches before 2000.
Kohli (Virat Kohli) has taken 5,868 singles in his 17-year ODI career, batting in 289 innings across 301 matches. Only two other players have reached the “5,000 Singles” club—Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.
Other Legends in the “5,000 Singles” Club
Kumar Sangakkara: The Sri Lankan legend made his ODI debut on July 5, 2000. Since the singles count began in 2000, all his ODI matches are included in this record. Sangakkara took 5,688 singles in 404 matches and 380 innings.
Mahela Jayawardene: He debuted in ODIs on January 24, 1998, and batted in 418 innings during his career. From January 1, 2000, until his retirement, he took 5,046 singles in 409 matches and 381 innings.
Other Cricketers in the Top Five
Mahendra Singh Dhoni: The former Indian captain and wicketkeeper-batsman made his ODI debut on December 23, 2004. He ranks fourth on this list with 4,474 singles in 350 ODIs, batting in 297 innings.
Jacques Kallis: One of the greatest all-rounders in history, Kallis made his ODI debut on January 9, 1996. He played 328 ODIs and batted in 314 innings. From January 1, 2000, until his retirement, he took 4,057 singles in 239 innings across 251 ODIs.