Indian cricket icon Virat Kohli etched his name in records as hebecame the first batter in ODI history to score 13,000 runs at number three. Kohli attained thr feat on Wednesday as he resumed the first ODI of the five match series agaisnt New Zealand in Auckland.
At Eden Park, he required just12 runs to reach the mark.The landmark was achieved on the 13th ball of his innings, in the sixth over of India’s chase of 186.
Kohli now ranks above Australia’s Ricky Ponting, who held the record at the position with 12,662 runs and 29 centuries at number three for years.
It is worth noting that there are just a handful of players who have crossed the 10,000 run mark across all formats.
The numbers show how dominant Kohli has been. He has an average of 61.6 at number three, with 48 centuries and 69 fifties. His best score at the position is 183. He reached 13,000 in his 251st innings there.
The milestone came at a time when India needed stability. After Rohit Sharma’s dismissal, Kohli and captain Shubman Gill steadied the innings with calm batting.
The 37-year-old is also second on the all-time ODI run-scoring list. He has over 15,000 runs, and earlier this year he became only the second player after Sachin Tendulkar to cross 15,000.
For a batter who has played at number three since 2009, the record is a lasting sign of consistency. It also adds to his reputation as one of the most dependable players in the 50-over format.