In 2008, Virat Kohli made his international debut, playing his first ODI match against Sri Lanka in Dambulla. He scored only 12 runs, dismissed by Nuwan Kulasekara. Later in the series, Kohli hit his first half-century with 54 runs in Colombo, and his first century came against Sri Lanka in 2009 at Eden Gardens. Kohli’s international record includes 8,848 runs in 113 Tests with 29 centuries, 13,906 runs in 295 ODIs with 50 centuries, and 4,188 runs in T20s before retiring from the format. Here are five incredible records that Kohli has achieved in international cricket.
5. Virat Kohli is the first batsman to score 50 centuries in ODIs
Virat Kohli is the only player to score 50 centuries in ODIs. He reached this milestone against New Zealand in the first semi-final of the ODI World Cup 2023 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, scoring 117 runs off 113 balls. In this innings, he hit 9 fours and 2 sixes. Kohli has also scored 10 centuries against Sri Lanka and 9 centuries against the West Indies.
4. Virat Kohli holds the record for scoring the most runs in a single edition of the ODI World Cup
In the ODI World Cup 2023 held in India, Virat Kohli scored 765 runs in 11 innings, making him the highest run-scorer in a single ODI World Cup season. The previous record was held by Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 673 runs in 11 innings during the 2003 World Cup. In the 2023 tournament, Kohli hit three centuries and six half-centuries. Before his century in the semi-final against New Zealand, he scored 103* against Bangladesh and 101* against South Africa. He also made 88 runs in a group stage match against Sri Lanka.
3. Most Player of the Series awards
Virat Kohli has won the most Player of the Series awards in international cricket, with a total of 21 awards from 161 series in all formats. Of these 21 awards, he has won 11 in ODIs, 7 in T20s, and 3 in Tests. Sachin Tendulkar is second on the list, having received 20 Player of the Series awards during his cricket career.
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2. Virat Kohli became the fastest batsman to complete 13000 ODI runs
Virat Kohli holds the record for the fastest 13,000 runs in ODIs, reaching this milestone in just 267 innings. In September 2023, during the Asia Cup match against Pakistan in Colombo, he played a strong innings, scoring 122 runs off 94 balls, hitting 9 fours and 3 sixes.
Sachin Tendulkar is second on the list, reaching 13,000 runs in 321 innings. Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting did it in 341 innings, while Kumar Sangakkara achieved the same in 363 innings.
1. Most half-centuries in T20
Virat Kohli has also been amazing in T20 cricket, scoring a total of 38 half-centuries. In the final match of the T20 World Cup 2024, he made a crucial innings of 76 runs off 59 balls against South Africa in Barbados. Babar Azam from Pakistan is second on the list with 36 half-centuries and three centuries. Rohit Sharma, the opening batsman for India, also retired from international T20 cricket after this tournament. He scored 327 runs in T20s and has five centuries to his name.
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