He is unarguably amongst the three greatest ODI batters of all-time. His sustained excellence over the last 15 years speaks volumes of his ability and mastery of the 50-over format. On Sunday, Virat Kohli added another feather to his cap becoming the fastest batter to 14000 runs in ODI cricket. He also registered his 51st ODI hundred taking his overall tally of international tons to 82. We look back at some numbers which define Kohli’s journey to Club 14K.
The Hobart Hundred – Kohli – the Master Chaser is born
The 28th of February, 2012 changed Virat Kohli and Indian cricket forever. Exactly 13 years ago to this date, Kohli smashed a breathtaking unbeaten 133 off just 86 deliveries from number 4 pulling off a near-impossible 321-run chase against Sri Lanka in just 36.4 overs (India needed to chase the runs in 40 overs to stay alive in the series). It gave birth to Kohli – the master-chaser in ODI cricket and there was no looking back.
The Golden Period – Kohli rules the world
Kohli was in Bradmanesque form in ODI cricket from 2016 till the end of 2019 and smashed 4778 runs in just 75 innings at a stunning average of 80.98. He was the leading run-getter in this time-frame and no batter came close to his batting average. Rohit Sharma was at number two with an average of 65.3.
Kohli also scored his runs at a fair clip with a strike rate of 99.27 and registered 20 hundreds in this four-year period. No batter has ever dominated 50-over cricket for a significant period of time as Kohli did in this time-frame – not even Viv Richards in the 1980s or Tendulkar at his pomp in the late 1990s!
Interestingly, Kohli was not the fastest to 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000 or 7000 ODI runs but due to his mind-boggling numbers during this period, he held the record for every subsequent 1000-run milestone. It was during this time-frame that Kohli became the fastest to 8000, 9000, 10000 and 11000 runs in ODI cricket. He was at his absolute peak from Club 9K to Club 10K achieving the feat in just 11 innings!
The fastest to the 14000 Club
Kohli became the fastest batter to Club 14K reaching the landmark in his 287th ODI inning – achieving the feat during his masterclass hundred against Pakistan in the high-octane Champions Trophy encounter last Sunday. Tendulkar took 350 innings to reach the milestone while Sangakkara did it in his 378th inning! Kohli has held the record for the fastest to every 1000-run milestone since surpassing AB de Villiers to become the fastest to 8000 runs against Bangladesh in the 2017 Champions Trophy in Birmingham.
The most hundreds & best frequency
Kohli’s unbeaten 100 against arch-rivals Pakistan last Sunday was his 51st ton in ODI cricket. He is the leading centurion in the format with Tendulkar at number two with 49 hundreds. Rohit Sharma is a distant third with 32 hundreds. Kohli’s frequency of scoring a hundred (every 5.6 innings) is also the best amongst the 62 batters who have registered at least 10 tons in their ODI career. He is followed by Babar Azam (a hundred every 6.57 innings) and Hashim Amla (every 6.59 innings). The highest batting average in ODI history
Kohli is in a league of his own and had an average of 58.2 when he crossed 14000 runs in ODI cricket. The corresponding averages for Tendulkar and Sangakkara were 44.19 and 41.73. Kohli consumed 14984 deliveries to the milestone, while Tendulkar took 16292 and Sangakkara – 17789. Kohli’s average is also the highest in ODI history (min. 3000 runs). He is followed by Babar Azam (55.5), Michael Bevan (53.58), AB de Villiers (53.5) and MS Dhoni (50.57).
The greatest chaser in ODI history
Kohli is one of the greatest chasers in ODI history with an average of 63.34 batting second – it is the highest average in run chases in the format’s history (min.2000 runs). AB de Villiers (56.8) is at a distant second and is followed by Micheal Bevan (56.5). 28 of Kohli’s 51 hundreds have come in chases – the most for any batter. Kohli’s average in victorious chases rises to a staggering 89.6 – the second-best in ODI history only after MSD!
A unique record in 350-plus chases
India has chased down a 350-plus total three times in their ODI history! Remarkably, Kohli has hit a ton in each of these three encounters. He blasted a sensational undefeated 100 off just 52 deliveries against Australia in a 360-run chase in Jaipur in 2013. Stunningly, in the same series, just a few days after that herculean effort in Jaipur, Kohli hammered an unbeaten 115 off just 66 deliveries in Nagpur as India gunned down Australia’s 350 with three balls to spare.
One of his toughest hundreds came against England in a 351-run chase in Pune in 2017. Kohli walked out to bat 13 for 1 which worsened to 24 for 2, then 56 for 3 and 63 for 4. However, he kept his cool and combined with Kedar Jadhav putting together a double-century partnership, which laid the foundation for a highly unlikely Indian victory.
Kohli also smashed a breathtaking 183 off just 148 deliveries against Pakistan in Mirpur in the Asia Cup in 2012 as India mauled down the 330-run target with six wickets in hand and 13 balls to spare. This essentially means that Kohli has registered a match-winning hundred in four of India’s five highest chases in ODI cricket – an amazing achievement to say the least!
Raising his game on the world stage
Kohli has a magnificent record in World Cup cricket and the ICC Champions Trophy – the two flagship events in 50-over cricket. While he has an aggregate of 1795 runs in 37 innings at an average of almost 60 and strike rate of 88.2 in World Cups, he has scored 651 runs in 14 innings in the Champions Trophy at an average of 93. Kohli has a total of six hundreds in these two competitions.
Kohli was the highest scorer in the 2023 World Cup at home and piled on a record 765 runs in 11 innings with three hundreds and six fifties. It is the highest aggregate in a single edition of the World Cup!
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