Virat Kohli will be targeting two big records in the five-match ODI series between India and New Zealand. He has a great chance to create history by leaving Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting behind.
Records of Sachin and Ponting on target of Virat Kohli
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Virat Kohli Record: Indian cricket team’s star batsman Virat Kohli is once again standing on the threshold of creating history with his bat. Kohli will have a chance to make two big records in the 5-match ODI series between India and New Zealand. He can leave behind Sachin Tendulkar in terms of scoring the most runs against New Zealand in international cricket. At the same time, Ricky Ponting’s record of scoring most runs against the Kiwi team in ODI cricket can also be broken.
Considering the excellent form that 37-year-old Kohli is in, everyone will keep an eye on these records. The special thing is that he does not need very many runs to achieve both the achievements.
178 runs away from breaking Sachin’s record
Sachin Tendulkar currently holds the record for scoring the most runs in all three formats of international cricket against New Zealand. Sachin has scored 3345 runs in 66 matches. In this list, England’s Joe Root is at second place with 3268 runs, while Virat Kohli is at third place with 3167 runs.
Kohli has scored 10 centuries and 16 half-centuries in 60 international matches against New Zealand. He needs 179 runs to break Sachin’s record, whereas once he scores 178 runs, he will equal Sachin’s record. After this, as soon as he scores one run, he will reach the first position in this list.
In this list, Australia’s Ricky Ponting is at fourth place with 3145 runs and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis is at fifth place with 3071 runs.
Opportunity to leave Ponting behind in ODI
Kohli has a chance to make a big record in ODI cricket also. He has scored 1897 runs in 36 ODI matches against New Zealand. During this period his average has been 57.48. He has scored seven centuries and 10 half-centuries.
Ricky Ponting holds the record for scoring most runs in ODI against New Zealand. He has scored 1971 runs in 51 matches. Kohli needs 75 runs to break this record. At the same time, after scoring 74 runs, he will be equal to Ponting.
Not only this, Kohli can also become the first batsman in the world to score 2000 runs against New Zealand in ODI. For this he needs 103 runs. In this list, Sachin Tendulkar is at third place after scoring 1750 runs in 42 matches. Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara is at fourth and fifth position with 1568 runs and Sanath Jayasuriya with 1519 runs.
Kohli is in great form in 2026
The year 2026 has been very good for Kohli so far. He has scored 552 runs in nine ODI innings this year at an average of 69. During this period, he has scored two centuries and three half-centuries.
His best score this year came against West Indies. In the match played in Thiruvananthapuram in September, Kohli played an unbeaten inning of 139 runs on just 88 balls. However, his performance in the remaining two matches of the series was not as expected. He scored 29 runs in one match, while could not even open the account in the other. In this way, his total score in three matches was 168 runs.
Earlier, Kohli’s bat had also played well in the home ODI series against New Zealand. He played innings of 93, 23 and 124 runs in three matches. His innings of 124 runs in the third ODI played in Indore once again showed how excellent his record is against New Zealand.
Good record on New Zealand soil also
In this series, Kohli will also have a chance to improve his record on New Zealand soil. He has played 13 ODI matches there so far, in which he has scored 596 runs at an average of 49.66. During this period, one century and four half-centuries have come from his bat.
This series will also be important for the Indian team in terms of preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup. In such a situation, Kohli’s experience and form will be very important for the team. Now it remains to be seen how many runs Kohli scores in the five matches against New Zealand and whether Sachin-Ponting’s big records can be achieved in his name.