MUMBAI (Kashmir English): India’s star batter Virat Kohli has entered an exclusive club by becoming only the second batter in men’s ODI cricket to score 15,000 runs.
Kohli achieved the milestone during India’s first ODI against the West Indies on Sunday, September 27, reaching the landmark with a boundary off Alzarri Joseph.
He needed 59 runs before the match to complete the feat.
The 37-year-old reached 15,000 runs in his 303rd ODI innings, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s previous record of reaching the mark in 377 innings.
Kohli therefore achieved the milestone 74 innings faster than the former India batter.
Kohli joins Tendulkar in exclusive 15,000-run club
Tendulkar remains the leading ODI run-scorer with 18,426 runs from 463 matches. He registered 49 centuries and 96 half-centuries during his career.
Kohli, meanwhile, reached the 15,000-run mark in his 315th ODI match. His record includes 54 centuries and 80 half-centuries, with a highest ODI score of 183.
Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara is third on the all-time ODI run-scoring list with more than 14,000 runs, followed by former Australia captain Ricky Ponting and Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya. None of them have reached 15,000 runs.
The achievement came against a side against which Kohli has traditionally enjoyed considerable success.
Before Sunday’s match, he had scored 2,261 runs in 43 ODIs against the West Indies, including nine centuries and 11 half-centuries.
Kohli had also been closing in on another Tendulkar record for most ODI runs scored in India. Before the match, he had 6,867 runs in 130 ODIs on home soil, while Tendulkar finished with 6,976 runs in 164 matches in India.
Kohli’s latest achievement further strengthens his position as the second-highest run-scorer in ODI history, behind only Tendulkar.
