Virat Kohli eyes Sangakkara’s ODI runs record during Australia tour
Virat Kohli is a legendary Indian batter in all formats of cricket who has made a lot of contributions to Indian cricket. India is playing a three-match ODI series against Australia on the Aussies’ home soil from 19 October. Virat Kohli is the third-highest run-scorer in the ODI format of cricket. He had made 14181 runs in 291 innings of ODIs during his 17-year-long career. The Sri Lankan great batter, Kumar Sangakkara, is the second-highest run-scorer in ODI cricket history with 14234 runs. Virat Kohli eyes Sangakkara’s ODI runs record during Australia tour 2025, including three ODIs. He is just 54 runs away from creating history in the ODI format of cricket and breaking Sangakkara’s record. Kohli has a great talent and has a great opportunity for this milestone on Australian soil, where he has a great record.
Kohli’s Dominant ODI Journey
Virat Kohli entered ODI cricket on 18 August 2008 when he played his first ODI match against Sri Lanka at the age of 19. He has a great ODI career with consistency, dominance, and remarkable performances. Kohli achieved several milestones during his ODI journey and recognized himself as a dependable batter. His unmatched performances for India across all formats, consistency, winning ability, and talent to rotate the strike make him a modern-day cricket legend. He also has a great record against Australia in the home conditions of Australia, where most of the world’s batters struggled to bat.
Also Read: India’s Continuous Struggles in ODIs in the Australian Conditions
The legendary batter has completed 303 ODIs for his country and still keeps himself in great form in this format. He is hungry to achieve several milestones in ODI cricket history. This can be understood by analyzing his average in this format, which is 57.64, the third-highest career batting average in ODIs. The star batter has the record of most centuries in ODI cricket, which are 51. These milestones and consistent numbers of runs with several records put him in a great competition with world-class batters. He is sharing the class of batting with the cricket greats like Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara.
Virat Kohli vs Sangakkara Record
The stats of these legendary batters will give us a better understanding of the comparison. Kohli’s consistent performances and centuries in ODI cricket allow him to achieve the milestone quickly than Sangakkara.
| Stats | Virat Kohli | Kumar Sangakkara |
| Matches | 303 | 404 |
| Innings | 291 | 380 |
| Runs | 14181 | 14234 |
| Average | 57.64 | 41.98 |
| Fifties | 74 | 93 |
| Centuries | 51 | 25 |
Virat Kohli has lost his wicket for a duck in the first ODI against Australia during the India vs Australia ODI series 2025. He still has two games to play, and he needs to smash a modest half-century in these games. His consistent performances always make him a threat to Sangakkara’s second spot in ODI cricket all-time run-scorers. Kohli’s collective 54 runs in the remaining two ODIs will also make him surpass Sangakkara’s old record. This will make him the second-highest run-getter in ODI history after the batting legend Sachin Tendulkar.
Kohli’s remarkable performances against Australia
Virat Kohli has a great record against Australia in their home conditions and has a history of memorable performances. Australia offers bouncy and fast pitches that support swing and seam movement. It is not easy for a batter to perform on pitches like that, but Kohli’s ability allows him to bat well. Kohli has played 19 matches against Australia on their home soil and has played match-winning knocks.
Virat Kohli’s Stats in Australia
Kohli has a decent batting record on the tough batting pitches of Australia due to his versatile adaptability to conditions.
| Matches | 19 |
| Runs | 884 |
| Fifties | 5 |
| Centuries | 3 |
Kohli has performed against Australians with a near 50 average in tough Aussie conditions. He can also perform with this consistency in the ongoing India vs Australia ODI series 2025. Kohli’s Australia tour 2025 will be a great stage to make history and break Sangakkara’s ODI runs record.
Virat Kohli ODI milestones
- Kohli is the second player in ODI history to secure 11 player of the series awards in 75 series.
- He made the 3rd highest runs (765) in 11 innings in ODIs during a tournament or series.
- The batting star achieved the 3rd highest career batting average in ODIs, 57.64.
- He is the only batter in ODIs history who smashed 10 centuries against one team.
- Kohli smashed the second-most fifties in his ODI career.
- He is the only batter in ODI history who achieved the milestone of fastest 14000 runs in cricket. Kohli achieved a record ODI score in just 287 innings.
- Kohli is the second player in ODIs to catch 161 catches in his career.
Also Read: The key players in the India vs Australia 2025 series
Virat Kohli can come back after the first ODI frustration in the 2nd game of the India vs Australia ODI series 2025. Kohli can hope to become the second-highest run-scorer in ODI history during this high-voltage series in 2025. It all depends on his performance in the remaining games of the series in Australia.