Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli has rewritten the record books once again, surpassing Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara to become the second-highest run-scorer in international cricket across all formats. His landmark came during India’s first One Day International (ODI) against New Zealand at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara on Sunday, where Kohli played a brilliant 93-run innings to guide India to a four-wicket victory.
Kohli’s innings took him past Sangakkara’s long-standing tally of 28,016 international runs, moving Kohli’s own career total to 28,068 runs and placing him only behind the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who leads the charts with 34,357 runs.
The Indian star’s consistency across formats — Tests, ODIs and T20 Internationals — has underpinned this historic milestone. In achieving it, Kohli has further cemented his reputation as one of cricket’s most prolific run-scorers.
In addition to becoming the second-highest run-scorer overall, Kohli also reached 28,000 international runs faster than any other player, doing so in 624 innings — ahead of Sachin Tendulkar (644) and Sangakkara (666).
Top five in international cricket runs (combined):
- Sachin Tendulkar (IND) — 34,357 runs
- Virat Kohli (IND) — 28,068+ runs
- Kumar Sangakkara (SL) — 28,016 runs
- Ricky Ponting (AUS) — 27,483 runs
- Mahela Jayawardene (SL) — 25,957 runs
(Figures according to latest available records)
Kohli’s achievement comes in a glittering career spanning nearly two decades, during which he has consistently challenged and broken numerous batting records. As cricket fans around the world celebrate, the focus now shifts to whether Kohli can close the gap on Tendulkar’s seemingly unassailable mark.
