Virat Kohli Surpasses Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI Chase Record

Virat Kohli further cemented his reputation as a master of run chases by overtaking Sachin Tendulkar’s longstanding ODI record. During India’s five-wicket victory over New Zealand at Eden Park on Wednesday, the 37-year-old reached an overall total of 8,741 runs in successful second-innings efforts, moving past Tendulkar’s previous benchmark of 8,720. Words are not enough to describe Virat Kohli’s greatness. And this time he has gone past another major milestone set by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, he continues to rewrite the record books. No wonder he is been called as the chase master by many. Vaibhav’s 45, Abhishek’s 113 smash T20I world record.

Kohli’s achievement is underscored by his superior efficiency in the format; he now boasts an average of 66.21 in ODI chases, significantly higher than Tendulkar’s 42.33.

Rohit Sharma currently holds the third position on the all-time list with 6,801 runs.

Beyond this milestone, Kohli also became the first player to accumulate 13,000 ODI runs while batting at the No. 3 position and equaled Ricky Ponting’s record of 18 scores of 50 or more against New Zealand. What makes the achievement even more remarkable is the difference in their batting averages.

The match, which served as the opening fixture of a five-game series, saw India take a 1-0 lead. Rain interruptions forced a revision of the target to 143 runs, which India achieved in 22.4 overs. Despite losing Rohit Sharma early, Kohli anchored the innings with a aggressive 74 off 51 balls, hitting 13 fours and a six. He secured his 80th ODI half-century, reaching the milestone in just 35 deliveries. And Kohli made sure the visitors remained firmly in control despite losing Rohit Sharma early, rain interruptions reduced India’s target to 143. India eventually completed the chase with five wickets remaining to make a winning start to the series.

New Zealand struggled to gain momentum, with the Indian bowling attack dismissing them for 185 runs in 40.2 overs. Arshdeep Singh spearheaded the effort with four wickets, supported by Gurnoor Brar, who claimed three. Anshul Kamboj was named Player of the Match for his clinical bowling performance, finishing with figures of 2 for 22.

Kohli needed 54 runs entering the contest to break the record and comfortably achieved the feat during his decisive innings. The performance ensures India carries momentum into the remainder of the series as they continue to capitalize on top-order stability and effective bowling rotations.