Virat Kohli of India plays a shot during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match between Pakistan and India (Photo by Ryan Lim/Getty Images)
Virat Kohli became only the third batter in ODI cricket history to reach the milestone of 14000 runs in the format during his brilliant unbeaten 100 against Pakistan in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy encounter in Dubai last Sunday. Kohli entered an exclusive club graced only by Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara.
RG looks at the numbers which define King Kohli’s journey to Club 14K in ODI cricket.
287: The number of innings for Kohli to reach 14000 ODI runs
Kohli became the fastest batter to Club 14K reaching the landmark in his 287th ODI inning. Tendulkar took 350 innings to reach the milestone while Sangakkara did it in his 378th inning! Kohli raced to 1000 runs in his 24th inning and never looked back. He was at his peak from Club 9K to Club 10K achieving the feat in just 11 innings! 1000 to 2000 was the slowest for Kohli and took him 29 innings. Comparatively, the fastest for Tendulkar was from 10K to 11K which he did in 17 innings. The great man took 36 innings to move from 1K to 2K which was, incidentally, the slowest jump to the next milestone of 1000 runs.
58.2: Kohli’s average when he reached Club 14K
Kohli is in a league of his own and had an average of 58.2 when he crossed 14000 runs in ODI cricket. The corresponding averages for Tendulkar and Sangakkara were 44.19 and 41.73. Kohli’s average is also the highest in ODI history (min. 3000 runs). He is followed by Babar Azam (55.5), Michael Bevan (53.58), AB de Villiers (53.5) and MS Dhoni (50.57).
Kohli consumed 14984 deliveries to the milestone, while Tendulkar took 16292 and Sangakkara – 17789.
Fastest to 8000-14000: Kohli is the fastest to 8K-14K runs in ODI history
Kohli is the fastest to every milestone of 1000 runs starting from Club 8K. He took 175 innings to reach the milestone overtaking Hashim Amla who took 176.
46.88 vs 58.73 vs 80.98 – Kohli’s average comparison between 2009-2011 & 2012-14 & 2016-19
Kohli had a fine record in 2009, 2010 and 2011 with a combined average of 48.23, strike rate of 85.25 including eight hundreds. However, what followed in the three years after laid the foundation for a modern great. Kohli hammered 3348 runs in 67 innings at an average of 58.73, strike rate of 96.98 with 13 hundreds from 2012 till the end of 2014.
However, this was not the best of Kohli – the ODI batter. What he achieved from 2016 till the end of 2019 is just simply mind-boggling. Kohli was in Bradmanesque form in ODI cricket in these four years and smashed 4778 runs in just 75 innings at a stunning average of 80.98, strike rate of 99.27 with as many as 20 hundreds. He was, by some distance, the best batter in ODI cricket in the world in this time-frame.
63.34 – Kohli’s average in chases
Kohli is one of the greatest chasers in ODI history with an average of 63.34 batting second – it is the highest average in run chases in the format’s history (min.2000 runs). AB de Villiers (56.8) is at a distant second and is followed by Micheal Bevan (56.5). 28 of Kohli’s 51 hundreds have come in chases.
59.83 & 93 – Kohli’s average in World Cups & Champions Trophy
Kohli has a magnificent record in World Cup cricket and the ICC Champions Trophy – the two flagship events in 50-over cricket. While he has an aggregate of 1795 runs in 37 innings at an average of almost 60 and strike rate of 88.2 in World Cups, he has scored 651 runs in 14 innings in the Champions Trophy at an average of 93. Kohli has a total of six hundreds in these two competitions.
1: Kohli has hit at least one ODI hundred in every country he has played in
Kohli has conquered the world in ODI cricket and hit one ton at least in every nation he has played in. He has 24 hundreds at home, six in Bangladesh and five each in Australia and Sri Lanka. No batter in ODI history has hit a hundred in as many as 10 countries with the exception of Tendulkar! Kohli has crossed the three-figure mark in India, UAE, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, England, West Indies, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Nikhil Narain is a die-hard cricket romantic, published author, and has worked for some of the leading digital websites and broadcasters in India and overseas. An alumnus of the London School of Economics, Nikhil's forte is using data and numbers creatively to weave interesting stories and revolutionize the way cricket statistics are generated and analyzed.
