Virat Kohli becomes fourth Indian to play 500 international matches
Indian maestro Virat Kohli is set to feature in his 500th match in international cricket. The 2nd Test against the West Indies at the Queen's Park Oval marks his 500th international appearance. He has become just the fourth Indian to play as many matches. Notably, Kohli is one of only two Indian batters with over 25,000 runs across formats. Here are his incredible records.
Why does this story matter?
Kohli has been India's flag-bearer across formats. Although the 34-year-old has fallen out of favor with selectors in T20I cricket, he is still the only cricketer with over 4,000 runs in the format. Kohli has been an out-and-out match-winner in ODI cricket, while his exploits with the red ball require no introduction. The Indian stalwart now features in his 500th international.
Three other Indians have played 500 international matches
As mentioned, Kohli has become only the fourth player to feature in 500 international matches for India. Sachin Tendulkar (664), MS Dhoni (535), and Rahul Dravid (504) are the only other Indians with this record. Kohli's closest rival among active cricketers is Rohit Sharma (442).
Over 25,000 internationals; second-most centuries
Kohli made his international debut in 2008 in an ODI against Sri Lanka. Over a decade later, he is the owner of 25,461 runs in international cricket. Among six batters who have over 25,000 international runs, Kohli has the highest average (53.48). His strike rate of 79.11 is also the highest among them. Kohli has the second-most international tons (75), after Tendulkar (100).
Kohli leads this list by a mile!
Kohli's tally of 75 international tons is the highest among active cricketers. England batter Joe Root follows Kohli with 46 international centuries. Australia's David Warner owns 45 centuries, while Steven Smith and Rohit own 44 each.
Kohli, the match-winner!
Kohli has been a match-winner across formats. He has won India several crunch games single-handedly. He is one of the three batters to have smashed over 15,000 international runs in winning cause (16,496). Kohli averages a staggering 65.46 in matches won by India (296) across formats. He is behind Ricky Ponting (20,140) and Tendulkar (17,113) on this tally.
Joint-most international tons
Kohli is one of India's greatest captains in international cricket. He slammed 41 tons across formats while leading India, the joint-most by a captain with Ponting. Former South African captain Graeme Smith follows the duo with 33 tons. Notably, Kohli has an incredible average of 59.92 as captain in international cricket. None of the other top 10 captains average over 55 in this regard.
Fastest to 10,000 ODI runs
In 2018, Kohli became the fourth Indian batter to touch the 10,000-run mark (ODIs). To date, he remains the fastest to this landmark (205 innings). Kohli took just 11 innings to go from 9,000 to 10,000 runs in the format. Interestingly, Kohli's average on completing his 10,000th run was 59.62. One would have to work their fingers to the bone to attain such numbers.
Astronomical numbers in ODI cricket
Kohli has astronomical numbers in ODI cricket. The former Indian captain averages 57.32 in the format, having slammed 12,898 runs from 274 ODIs. He is the fifth-highest run-scorer in ODIs. Kohli has a total of 46 tons in the format, the second-most after that of Tendulkar (49). Notably, no other player has more than 30 ODI centuries. Kohli is set to break Tendulkar's record.
Most Test double-tons by a captain
Kohli holds the record for scoring the most number of double-centuries as captain in Test cricket. He slammed as many as seven between 2016 and 2019. Former West Indies captain Brian Lara is next on the list with five Test double-centuries.
