IND vs NZ 1st ODI: Virat Kohli Overtakes Kumar Sangakkara To Become Second-Highest Run-Scorer In International Cricket
Virat Kohli took a jump of one place in the list of batters with the most international runs and occupied the second spot.
Published : January 11, 2026 at 7:15 PM IST
|Updated : January 11, 2026 at 7:34 PM IST
Hyderabad: Indian batter Virat Kohli went ahead of Kumar Sangakkara in the list of batters with the most international runs on Sunday, January 11. He reached the milestone in the first ODI against New Zealand at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara. Going into the contest, Kohli needed 42 runs to overtake Sangakkara’s tally of 28016 international runs. Kohli, who boasts an average of more than 50 in international cricket, played another solid knock and continued his red-hot form in the series opener as well.
Kohli goes past Sangakkara
Kohli achieved the feat in the 19th over of the innings while facing (Michell Bracewell). He flicked one towards square leg and ran for a single on the fifth delivery and stepped ahead of the Sri Lankan legend.
It was the 557th international match for the 37-year-old, and he has been in tremendous form in recent times. The right-handed batter has registered his fifty-plus scores in his last six List-A innings, which include knocks against mighty opponents like Australia and South Africa.
Virat Kohli now surpassed kumar sangkara in total run tally .. 🐐 #ViratKohli𓃵 pic.twitter.com/xFUkbqJhuY
— shu_bham (@shu_bham_18) January 11, 2026
Earlier, Kohli surpassed Sourav Ganguly in the list of the Indian cricketers with the most ODI appearances, playing his 309th 50-over game.
Fastest to 28k international runs
Only three batters have scored 28,000 runs in international cricket. Kohli achieved the feat in 624 innings while Tendulkar reached the milestone in 644 innings. Sangakkara took 666 innings to make it to the landmark.
New Zealand post 300/8
Earlier in the match, India won the toss and chose to bowl. They posted 300/8 thanks to three fifties in the innings. Daryl Mitchell was the highest run-getter in the innings with a knock of 84 runs from 71 deliveries, laced with a total of three sixes. Devon Conway scored 56 runs while Henry Nicholls smashed 62 runs. Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna picked two wickets each.
Notably, New Zealand are playing with their second-string side, and they handed Kristian Clarke a debut for the match.
