Indian cricket team’s legendary batsman Virat Kohli is once again standing on the threshold of creating history. In the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand, Kohli has a golden opportunity to break a big record of Sachin Tendulkar, known as the “God of Cricket”.
94 runs and new record
Virat Kohli is just a few steps away from becoming India’s highest run-scorer in One Day International (ODI) matches against New Zealand. Sachin Tendulkar scored 1,750 runs in 41 innings of 42 matches against New Zealand between 1990 and 2009. On the other hand, Virat Kohli has scored 1,657 runs in 33 innings of 33 matches since 2010. That means he needs only 94 runs to leave behind Tendulkar’s record. As soon as Kohli completes 94 runs in this series, he will become India’s most successful batsman in ODIs against New Zealand.
Virat’s average and strike rate is higher than Sachin’s
Virat Kohli is not only close to Sachin in terms of runs, but his record of average and centuries is strong. Talking about batting average, while Sachin Tendulkar’s average against New Zealand was 46.05, Virat Kohli is scoring at an average of 55.23. Kohli also appears ahead of Sachin in terms of centuries. He has so far scored 6 centuries and 9 half-centuries against the Kiwi team, whereas Sachin has 5 centuries and 8 half-centuries against this team. Virat Kohli’s strike rate against the Kiwi team is 95.50 while Sachin has scored runs at a strike rate of 95.36.
These Indian batsmen are also in the top-5
After Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, Virender Sehwag is at third place with 1,157 runs in the list of Indian batsmen who have scored most runs in ODI cricket against New Zealand. He is followed by Mohammad Azharuddin (1,118 runs) and Sourav Ganguly (1,079 runs). Current captain Rohit Sharma is also included in this list with 1,073 runs, but he is currently far behind the figures of Kohli and Sachin.
Top-5 Indian batsmen who scored most runs in ODI against New Zealand
1. Sachin Tendulkar – 1,750 runs (41 innings)
2. Virat Kohli – 1,657 runs (33 innings)
3. Virender Sehwag – 1,157 runs (23 innings)
4. Mohammad Azharuddin – 1,118 runs (39 innings)
5. Sourav Ganguly – 1,079 runs (31 innings)
Looking at the form Virat Kohli is in, it is believed that he can achieve this special feat in the opening matches of the upcoming series against New Zealand and add a new chapter in the history of Indian cricket.