India batting icon Virat Kohli etched his name into the history books during the first ODI between India and New Zealand at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara on Sunday, January 11. During the second innings of the series opener in Vadodara, Kohli shattered a world record previously held by Sachin Tendulkar.
Kohli has completed 28000 runs in international cricket and has shattered the world record of Tendulkar, as he has now become the fastest man to reach the milestone. Kohli reached to 28000 runs in 624 innings, while Tendulkar got to the mark in 644 innings. Kohli is the third player in the world to get to the mark.
Before Kohli, only Tendulkar and Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara had scored 28000 runs across the three formats in men's cricket. Sangakkara had reached the milestone in 666 innings.
Fastest to 28000 international runs:
1 - Virat Kohli: 624 innings
2 - Sachin Tendulkar: 644 innings
3 - Kumar Sangakkara: 666 innings
Coming into the game, Kohli needed 25 runs to get to the mark, and he got there in the 13th over of the run-chase when he smashed one past the bowler Adithya Ashok straight down the ground for four.
Kohli and Rohit Sharma received a special felicitation earlier in the match. During the mid-innings break, the two were felicitated by the Baroda Cricket Association members with BCCI president Mithun Minhas, vice-president Rajeev Shukla and ICC chairman Jay Shah in attendance.
New Zealand end well in first innings
Meanwhile, New Zealand ended well in the first innings as they managed to get to the magical mark of 300. The highlights of the innings were strong half-centuries from Daryl Mitchell, Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls.
India opted to bowl first earlier. "We will bowl first. Try different combinations, try to see which suits us best, a challenge to bowl under dew. Looks like it will be a bit easier to bat under lights with the dew coming in. Playing a bit of VH matches, everyone looks in good form. The environment is good in the team. We'[re going with 6 bowlers. Sundar, Jadeja and Kuldeep the spinner. Siraj, Prasidh and Hrashit the pacers," India captain Shubman Gill said at the toss.
"We would have bowled first, but happy to bat. We have been used to the weather and have some great net sessions. It's a big series for us, a proud moment every time we play for New Zealand. We're playing a WC in India, and it's a big advantage for us. New faces, but some experience as well. Might play a bit lower - Kristian Clarke makes his debut today, Aditya Ashok is our main spinner," New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell said.
