Virat Kohli will be in action for India on Sunday (August 4) during the second ODI against Sri Lanka at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The 35-year-old right-handed batter scored 24 runs in the series opener on Friday and aims to deliver a strong performance in the second 50-over match to help India gain a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
In this match, Kohli has a chance to make history by becoming the fastest batter to reach 14,000 runs in ODIs. The former India captain, who debuted against Sri Lanka in Dambulla on August 18, 2008, currently has 13,872 runs in 293 matches. He needs 128 more runs to surpass the 14,000-run milestone. Achieving this on Sunday would break Sachin Tendulkar’s 18-year-old record.
Tendulkar reached 14,000 runs in his 359th match for India against Pakistan in Peshawar on February 6. So far, only two batters have scored more than 14,000 runs in ODIs.
Fastest to score 14,000 runs in ODIs:
- Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 359 matches (350 innings)
- Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka, Asia, ICC) – 402 matches (378 innings)
Tendulkar leads with 18,426 runs in 463 matches, followed by former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara with 14,234 runs.
Last year, during the ODI World Cup, Kohli, who was named Player of the Tournament for scoring 765 runs in 11 matches, surpassed Ricky Ponting’s and Sanath Jayasuriya’s records of 13,704 and 13,430 runs, respectively, to become the third-leading run-scorer in ODIs.
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Most runs in ODIs:
- Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 18,426
- Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka, ICC, Asia) – 14,234
- Virat Kohli (India) – 13,872
- Ricky Ponting (Australia, ICC) – 13,704
- Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka, Asia) – 13,430
Additionally, Kohli has the chance to become the fourth batter to score 27,000 runs in international cricket on Sunday. Currently, he has 26,908 runs in 531 matches across formats for India and needs 92 runs to join Tendulkar (34,357), Sangakkara (28,016), and Ponting (27,483) in this elite club.
Most runs in international cricket:
- Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 34,357
- Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka, ICC, Asia) – 28,016
- Ricky Ponting (Australia, ICC) – 27,483
- Virat Kohli (India) – 26,908
- Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka, Asia) – 25,957
If Kohli achieves this feat in the second India-Sri Lanka ODI, he will also become the fastest batter to score 27,000 runs in international cricket.