Virat Kohli became the fastest batter to reach 28,000 international runs during India’s chase in the first India vs New Zealand ODI. He reached the milestone with a boundary off leg-spinner Adithya Ashok in his 624th international innings.
With this, Kohli became the quickest player to touch 28,000 runs across formats, doing it faster than Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara. Only Tendulkar is ahead of him now in total international runs, with 34,357.
Earlier as well, Kohli had been quicker than Tendulkar to major run milestones. In February 2023, he became the fastest batter to reach 25,000 international runs, doing it in 549 innings, which was 28 innings fewer than Tendulkar. In October 2023, he became the fastest to 26,000 runs, beating Tendulkar by 13 innings. In September 2024, he reached 27,000 runs in his 59th innings.
Kohli ended the 2025 calendar year strongly in the ODI format. He scored back-to-back centuries against South Africa and then finished the series decider with an unbeaten half-century as India won the series 2–1. He also played two matches in the domestic Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he scored a century against Andhra and a fifty against Gujarat.
His strong run of scores in List A cricket includes six consecutive fifty-plus innings. This streak began in Sydney, right after he was dismissed for two back-to-back ducks for the first time in his ODI career while playing in Australia.
At the international level, Kohli finished 2025 as India’s leading ODI run-scorer. He scored 651 runs in the year at an average of over 65, with several hundreds and fifties, including strong performances in the series against South Africa.
Virat Kohli Calls His Career a Dream After Breaking 28,000-Run Record in 1st India vs New Zealand ODI
Virat Kohli spoke about his career and personal moments after the first India vs New Zealand ODI in New Delhi. He called his journey “a dream come true” and said he feels grateful for everything cricket has given him.
Kohli said he always believed in his ability but had to work hard to reach this level. He said he looks back at his journey with pride and gratitude and feels blessed to play the sport he loved as a child and make people happy through it.
He was named Player of the Match for the 45th time after scoring a match-winning 93 off 91 balls in the chase. Kohli said he is not thinking about milestones while batting. He explained that if India had batted first, he would have played more aggressively, but while chasing, he focused on the situation and building the innings.
Talking about his approach at number three, Kohli said he now prefers to counterattack early if the situation is tricky. He said there is no point in waiting too long, but at the same time he sticks to his strengths and avoids risky shots. He felt that pushing hard in his first 20 balls after Rohit Sharma’s dismissal helped put New Zealand under pressure and made the difference in the game.
Kohli also shared a personal detail about his awards. He said he sends all his trophies to his mother in Gurgaon because she likes keeping them and feels proud of them.
When asked about the loud cheer when he came out to bat after Rohit’s dismissal, Kohli said he feels uncomfortable about it. He said it is not a good feeling for the player who gets out, even though he understands the excitement of the crowd. He said he tries to focus only on his role once he goes in to bat.
FAQs
Q. What milestone did Virat Kohli achieve in the 1st India vs New Zealand ODI?
A. Virat Kohli became the fastest batter to reach 28,000 international runs
Q. Whose record did Kohli break by reaching 28,000 runs fastest?
A. Virat Kohli broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record by reaching 28,000 runs the fastest.
Q. Which other major run milestones has Kohli reached faster than Tendulkar?
A. Virat Kohli was the fastest to 25,000, 26,000, and 27,000 international runs.
Q. How many times has Kohli won Player of the Match in ODIs?
A. Virat Kohli has won Player of the Match 45 times.
Get the Latest Cricket Updates at IceCric.News. Also, Follow Our Social Media for live updates on Facebook and Instagram.
