Virat Kohli. Photo: X/BCCI Virat Kohli. Photo: X/BCCI

Virat Kohli entered the history books during his magnificent hundred against Pakistan in Dubai last Sunday. (More Cricket News)

He became only the third batter in ODI history to cross the landmark of 14000 runs after Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara. Kohli is one of the greatest players in 50-over cricket and has been brilliantly consistent in the format. He is a master chaser with a great record in big ICC events. We look back at Kohli’s journey to Club 14K in ODI cricket and also some numbers which define his legacy in the format.

Modest BeginningsKohli had a modest start to his ODI career and scored just 159 runs in five innings in his debut year in 2008, interestingly, all as an opener. His fortunes changed after his maiden hundred – which came against West Indies in a 300-plus chase at the Eden Gardens on Christmas Eve in 2009. There was no looking back.

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The hundred at Hobart

Kohli had an average of 47 in 2010 and 2011 and registered a combined seven hundreds in the two-year period. However, what transpired on the 28th of February – exactly 13 years ago to this date – changed Kohli and Indian cricket forever! Kohli hammered a breathtaking unbeaten 133 off just 86 deliveries from number 4 pulling off a near-impossible 321-run chase against Sri Lanka in just 36.4 overs (India needed to chase the runs in 40 overs to stay alive in the series). Kohli – the ODI genius was born. Glimpses were witnessed in Kolkata two and a half years ago, now Kohli the master-chaser had finally arrived!

Kohli had an aggregate of 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. He was still not the best ODI batter in the world. Sangakkara scored more runs than him in the time-frame and AB de Villiers and MS Dhoni had a better average.

King Kohli Conquers the WorldAfter an indifferent 2015, in which Kohli just averaged a touch over 36 from 20 innings, he returned with a bang in 2016. What he achieved in the next four years is the stuff of legends! Kohli was in Bradmanesque form in ODI cricket from 2016 till the end of 2019 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. In fact, no batter has ever dominated 50-over cricket for a significant period of time as Kohli did in these four years. He was the leading run-getter in this time-frame and no batter came close to his batting average. Rohit Sharma was at number two with an average of 65.3.

It was during this period that Kohli became the fastest to 8000,66br Cassinos ao Vivo Brasil 9000, 10000 and 11000 runs in ODI cricket.

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The struggle from 2020 till 2022Kohli’s form took a dip in the next couple of years and he was at his lowest in the format in 2022 where he could just muster 302 runs from 11 innings at an average of 27.45. He registered just one hundred in the format in these three years.

Kohli roars back into form in 2023

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Kohli roared back into form in 2023 blasting 1377 runs in the calendar year at an average of 72.5 and strike rate of almost run a ball with six hundreds. He played a pivotal role with the bat in India’s domination at the 2023 World Cup at home where they eventually lost in the final to Australia. Kohli was the leading run-getter of the tournament scoring a mind-boggling 765 runs in 11 innings at an average of 95.62 with three hundreds. It was the highest aggregate of runs scored in a single edition of the World Cup. Kohli also became the fastest to 13000 ODI runs during this period.

The fastest to the 14000 ClubKohli became the fastest batter to Club 14K reaching the landmark in his 287th ODI inning – achieving the feat during his masterclass hundred against Pakistan in the high-octane Champions Trophy encounter last Sunday. Tendulkar took 350 innings to reach the milestone while Sangakkara did it in his 378th inning!

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Kohli 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.

The highest batting average in ODI historyKohli 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 consumed 14984 deliveries to the milestone, while Tendulkar took 16292 and Sangakkara – 17789.

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).

The greatest chaser in ODI historyKohli 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.

Raising his game on the world stageKohli 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 Cups161bet2, 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.