NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli is on the cusp of achieving another landmark in international cricket, and the star Indian batter is well on course to attain it when he bats in the first ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara on Sunday.
Kohli needs just 25 runs to join the elite company of great Sachin Tendulkar and former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, who have scored more than 28,000 international runs. With 27,975 runs, Kohli is within touching distance of becoming the third batter to reach the landmark.
Kohli is also closing in on another major milestone. He is just 42 runs away from overtaking Sangakkara's tally of 28,016 runs to become the second-highest run-scorer in international cricket across all formats.
Virat Kohli meets his mini-me in Vadodara - the encounter is pure gold
Kohli's 27,975 runs came from 556 matches and 623 innings. Across formats, the right-hander boasts an outstanding average of 52.58, along with an astonishing 84 hundreds and 145 fifties.
Sangakkara, who piled up 28,016 runs from 594 matches and 666 innings, finishing his career with an average of 46.77, alongside 63 centuries and 153 half-centuries.
Tendulkar sits atop the list with staggering 34,357 runs across 664 matches and 782 innings, maintaining an average of 48.25. His record-breaking tally includes an unmatched 100 international hundreds and 164 fifties across formats.
