The 1st ODI between India and England on July 14 shall mark the return of after nearly six months in the international format.
His last game in national colours was vs New Zealand on January 18. Since he only plays ODIs, he did not take part in the T20I series or the T20 World Cup and the T20Is in Ireland and the ongoing series in England. He does not play Tests either, so an ODI retirement will mean an international farewell.
Virat Kohli Approaching Personal Milestones
Kohli missed the ODIs vs because of an injury. So, July 14 is his comeback for the Men in Blue. Even as he prepares to make a return, one world record and two milestones are waiting for him.
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Set to Join Sachin Tendulkar in Major Club
The 37-year-old needs 203 runs to complete 15,000 runs in ODIs. He will be only the second person to do so. The 1st and only one to do so till now is Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin leads the pack with 18,426 runs and Kohli is 2nd. But the gap is huge. It will be a huge milestone.
World Record on the Cards
When and if he does achieve the feat in this series which has three ODIs, he will become the fastest to the milestone of 15,000 runs. Sachin did it in 359 innings, and Kohli has a cushion of 59 innings to break the record. So, it’s coming to him one way or another. Sachin has held the record since 2007 since he’s the only one to reach that mark.
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Major Milestone Loading
Kohli also is just an outing away from another major milestone. The moment he walks out to bat, he shall have played 300 ODI innings. That’s a major milestone for someone with over 300 ODI games under his belt, close to 15,000 runs at an average of almost 60 with a strike rate of more than 90.
Virat Kohli’s Legacy
The legend turns 38 this year and right now his mission is to play the World Cup next year. He’s been around since 2008 and wants to go out on a high. His current ODI numbers are out of this world. In 299 innings from 311 games with 47 not outs, Kohli has scored 14,797 runs at an average of 58.71 with 54 100s and 77 50s along with a top score of 183. By the time he calls it a day, it will be interesting to see where he stands.