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Team India batter Virat Kohli set to achieve major milestone in international cricket ahead of three-match ODI series against New Zealand. The veteran batter has a chance to move up to second place on the all-time list of men’s international scorers, surpassing the Sri Lanka legend. Kumar Sangakkara.
Kohli trained hard with his teammates in an intense practice session ahead of the series opener in Vadodara. The three-match ODI series will begin on January 11 at the BCA Stadium. This will be India’s first international assignment in 2026. After the ODIs, the team will play a five-match T20I series against New Zealand.
Virat Kohli 42 moves away from becoming second highest run scorer
Kohli needs 42 more runs to move into second place in the all-time list of men’s international run scorers. Kohli scored 27,975 runs, just behind Kumar Sangakkara, who finished with 28,016 runs.
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Sachin Tendulkar remains far ahead at the top of the list of elite batters. Kohli can overtake Sangakkara in 624 innings, which is less than the 666 innings Sangakkara took to reach his total.
| Player | Sleeves | Works | Average | 100/50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | 782 | 34,357 | 48.52 | 100/164 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | 666 | 28,016 | 46.77 | 63/153 |
| Virat Kohli | 623 | 27,975 | 52.58 | 84/145 |
| Ricky Ponting | 668 | 27,483 | 45.95 | 71/146 |
| Mahela Jayawarde | 725 | 25,957 | 39:15 | 54/136 |
| Jacques Kallis | 617 | 25,534 | 49.10 | 62/149 |
Virat Kohli eyes major ODI record against New Zealand
The 36-year-old needs 93 runs in the upcoming ODI series to become India’s top scorer against New Zealand in this format, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar. Kohli scored 1,657 runs against New Zealand in 33 innings, while Tendulkar finished with 1,750 runs in 41 innings.
The senior batter had an exceptional touch in 50-over cricket. Since the third ODI of the Australia tour, he has recorded six consecutive scores of over fifty runs in international matches and the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
He scored an unbeaten 74 against Australia, followed by two centuries against South Africa and a 65 not out that narrowly missed becoming another hundred. Kohli then returned to the Vijay Hazare Trophy after over a decade and produced back-to-back match-winning knocks of 131 and 77.
India enter New Zealand ODIs with confidence after South Africa win
India enters the New Zealand series having won a home ODI series against South Africa by 2-1, with Virat Kohli winning the player of the series award.
In the ODIs between India and New Zealand, both teams played 120 matches. India won 62, New Zealand won 50, seven matches produced no results and one ended in a draw.
Their most recent 50-over encounter came in the 2025 Champions Trophy final, where Rohit Sharma-led India beat New Zealand to win the title in Dubai.
India will also be boosted by the return of captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer, both of whom missed the previous ODI series against South Africa due to injury.
Also read: Virat Kohli’s long-standing relationship with RCB house ends abruptly ahead of IPL 2026
