On October 19, Virat Kohli made cricket history by becoming the quickest player ever to reach 26,000 international runs. This record was previously held by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. Before the Bangladesh match, Kohli had scored 25,923 runs in 566 innings. He achieved this remarkable feat by hitting a powerful six during the World Cup game in Pune.
Now, Virat Kohli stands as the fourth-highest run-scorer in world cricket. He has an impressive total of 26,026 runs in 567 innings, along with an outstanding record of 78 centuries and 134 half-centuries. Only three players have scored more runs than him: Ricky Ponting (27,483), Kumara Sangakkara (28,016), and Sachin Tendulkar (34,357). Kohli surpassed Mahela Jayawardene (25,957) to secure the fifth spot in the list of highest run-scorers in cricket.
In ODI World Cups, Virat Kohli has scored a total of 1,289 runs in 30 matches. He has achieved three centuries, and his batting average in World Cup matches stands at an impressive 53.70.
In 2011, on his World Cup debut, Kohli scored an unbeaten 100 against Bangladesh. Interestingly, his most recent World Cup century (on October 19, 2023) was also against Bangladesh. In 2015, he scored another century against Pakistan in Adelaide.
Controversy Surrounding Virat Kohli’s 48th Century
Virat Kohli’s century against Bangladesh stirred up some controversy. Umpire Richard Kettleborough‘s decision not to call a Wide Ball has sparked a lot of discussion. At the time, Kohli was at 97 and Nasum Ahmed was bowling. In limited-overs cricket, if a delivery goes down the leg side, it’s usually considered a wide ball. However, Kettleborough did not make this call.
This is Virat Kohli’s fourth World Cup. He is one of the only two players, along with R Ashwin, who was part of India’s world champion team in 2011.
