Virat Kohli Surpasses Milestones Against New Zealand: Becomes No. 2 in International Runs

On Sunday, Virat Kohli surpassed Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara to become the second-highest run-scorer in international cricket.

Kumar Sangakkara, the former Sri Lankan captain, accumulated 28,016 runs in 666 innings across all three formats. Kohli surpassed this milestone during the first ODI between India and New Zealand in Vadodara, achieving it in his 624th innings.

Sachin Tendulkar continues to hold the record as the highest run-scorer in international cricket, with a total of 34,357 runs from 782 innings. Tendulkar also holds the record for the most hundreds (100) in cricket, with Kohli following with 84 centuries.

During Sunday’s match, Kohli scored a half-century as India pursued a target of 301 runs against New Zealand. This marked his seventh consecutive score of fifty or more in List A cricket.

At 37, Kohli had already scored two centuries and a fifty in the three-match series against South Africa in December last year. He further added a century and a fifty while playing for Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Prior to that, Kohli had remained unbeaten with a score of 77 against Australia in Sydney.

Most Runs in International Cricket

• Sachin Tendulkar – 34,357 runs (782 innings)
• Virat Kohli – 28,068 runs (624 innings)
• Kumar Sangakkara – 28,016 runs (666 innings)
• Ricky Ponting – 27,483 runs (668 innings)
• Mahela Jayawardene – 25,957 runs (725 innings)

Published on Jan 11, 2026