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5 major records held by Virat Kohli in international cricket

On August 18, 2008, Virat Kohli made his international debut in an ODI against Sri Lanka in Dambulla. He was dismissed for 12 off 22 balls by Nuwan Kulasekara. Kohli notched up his first half-century in the fourth ODI of the series in Colombo when he scored 54 off 66 balls. The right-handed batter's maiden ton also came against Sri Lanka in Eden Gardens in December 2009.

Kohli hasn't looked back once he found his groove on the big stage. The 35-year-old has featured 113 Tests and has scored 8,848 runs at an average of 49.15, with 29 hundreds and 30 fifties. In ODIs, he has amassed 13,906 runs from 295 matches at an average of 58.18, with 50 tons and 72 fifties. The former skipper ended his T20I career with 4,188 runs in 125 matches at a strike rate of 137.04.

Kohli has achieved some remarkable feats during his 16-year stint in international cricket. On the anniversary of his India debut, we take a look at five prominent records held by the run machine.


#1 First batter to hit 50 ODI hundreds

Virat Kohli reacts after reaching his 50th ODI ton. (Image Credits: Getty Images)
Virat Kohli reacts after reaching his 50th ODI ton. (Image Credits: Getty Images)

Kohli is the first batter (and only one so far) to score 50 hundreds in ODIs. He achieved the feat in the first semifinal of the 2023 ODI World Cup against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The seasoned batter smashed 117 off 113 balls to surpass Sachin Tendulkar's record of 49 ODI tons in the presence of the Master Blaster.

Kohli hit nine fours and two sixes in his innings before being dismissed by Tim Southee. He also holds the record for scoring the most runs against one team in one-day cricket. The former India captain has smacked 10 tons against Sri Lanka. He is also second on the list with nine hundreds against the West Indies, a record he jointly holds with Tendulkar, who scored nine centuries against Australia.


#2 Most runs in a single edition of the ODI World Cup

By amassing 765 runs in 11 innings in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, Kohli also created a new record for most runs scored in a single edition of the ODI World Cup. The previous record was in the name of Tendulkar, who totaled 673 runs in 11 innings in the 2003 World Cup co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya.

Kohli hammered three tons and six fifties in the 2023 ODI World Cup, averaging 95.62 at a strike rate of 90.31. Before his century in the semifinal against the Kiwis, the 35-year-old also hit 103* off 97 against Bangladesh in Pune and 101* off 121 against South Africa in Kolkata. He was dismissed for 95 against New Zealand in Dharamsala in the group stage and scored 88 against Sri Lanka in Mumbai.


#3 Most Player of the Series awards

The former India captain during the 2023 WTC final against Australia (Image Credits: Getty Images)
The former India captain during the 2023 WTC final against Australia (Image Credits: Getty Images)

Kohli also holds the record for winning the most Player of the Series awards in international cricket. In 533 international matches (161 series), he has 21 Player of the Series awards across the three formats of the game. Of the 21, 11 Player of the Series awards have come in ODIs, seven in T20Is, and three in Tests.

Tendulkar is second on the illustrious list. In 664 matches (183 series), he won 20 Player of the Series awards. The Master Blaster won 15 Player of the Series awards in one-dayers and five in Tests. Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan completes the top three, with 17 Player of the Series awards.


#4 Fastest batter to 13000 ODI runs

Kohli also holds the record for being the fastest batter to reach 13,000 runs in ODIs. He needed 267 innings to reach the landmark, getting there in the Asia Cup match against Pakistan in Colombo in September 2023. The No. 3 batter slammed 122* off 94 in this match, hammering nine fours and three sixes.

Tendulkar (321 innings) is second on the list of batters who have been fastest to 13000 one-day international runs. The former India captain is followed by former Aussie captain Ricky Ponting (341 innings) and Lankan legends - Kumar Sangakkara (363 innings) and Sanath Jayasuriya (416 innings).


#5 Most 50s in T20Is

The former Indian captain signed off from T20Is with a memorable knock in the 2024 T20 World Cup final. (Image Credits: Getty Images)
The former Indian captain signed off from T20Is with a memorable knock in the 2024 T20 World Cup final. (Image Credits: Getty Images)

Kohli also holds the record for having struck the most half-centuries in T20I cricket. Having announced his retirement from the format after the T20 World Cup, he ended his career with 38 T20I half-centuries. Kohli signed off from T20Is with 76 off 59 in the 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa in Barbados.

Pakistan's Babar Azam is second on the list of batters with the most fifties in the T20I format. He has so far notched up 36 half-centuries to go with his three hundreds. Rohit Sharma, who also retired from T20Is after the T20 World Cup, completes the top three. He has 32 half-centuries to his name apart from five hundreds.

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