Numbers…big numbers matter in cricket; the scorers love it, the statisticians love it, the media loves it and there is no denying the fact the cricketers love it….and here is a big number that Virat Kohli has hit in his long and fantastic career that is into its 18th summer….and that in the form of playing for the men in blue in 300 one-day international matches! And this massive number is an accomplishment only six other Indians in Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Mohammed Azharuddin have achieved. What makes this big achievement even more significant is that Kohli had taken only 287 innings (from 299 matches) to make the 14000-run cut when juxtaposed against the numbers of Tendulkar (359 matches/350 innings) and Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara (402 matches/378 innings). It is a phenomenal feat which is embellished with 51 centuries and 1470 boundary shots (1318x 4s and 158 x 6s) accounting for 6184 runs of his 14085 runs before the 300th ODI – against New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai. Kohli began his international career as a 19-year old, a few months after he left the junior ranks in style leading India and clinching the ICC Under-19 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur. And 17 years later, he has been celebrated as the greatest ever ODI player by former international captains. Kohli has already played over 100 Tests and Twenty20 internationals and stamped his authority in each one of them. He has won the white ball World Cups — 50 and 20 overs format in India (2011) and West Indies (2024) and the 2013 Champions Trophy in England. And now the 300th ODI….terrific!
