As the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is set to kick off in Karachi on February 19, all eyes are on the Indian team, particularly Virat Kohli. With less than 24 hours to go before the tournament begins, the Indian team is gearing up to face Bangladesh in their first match in Dubai on February 20. While the Champions Trophy is expected to be a stellar performance from all Indian players, Virat Kohli is undoubtedly the center of attention. This 36-year-old batsman is considered to be playing his last Champions Trophy, and he’s determined to make it a memorable one by breaking several records with his bat.
Sachin Tendulkar’s Record in Jeopardy
Virat Kohli has already scored 13963 runs in 297 matches for India. With just 37 runs, he’ll become the fastest batsman to score 14000 runs in the history of ODI cricket, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s record. Tendulkar achieved this feat in his 350th innings, while Kohli has played only 285 innings in ODIs so far. This means that Kohli is likely to break Tendulkar’s record, and he’ll become the third player in the world to score 14000 runs in ODIs, joining the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara.
Kohli will also have a chance to become the third highest run-scorer in international cricket. With 27381 runs in 545 matches, he needs just 103 runs to overtake Ricky Ponting and claim the third spot. Ponting has 27483 runs in 560 matches, and Kohli is closing in on his record.
Most Runs in International Cricket
Here are the top run-scorers in international cricket:
- Sachin Tendulkar – 34357
- Kumar Sangakkara – 28016
- Ricky Ponting – 27483
- Virat Kohli – 27381
Kohli first attended the Champions Trophy in 2009 and has since scored a total of 529 runs in 13 matches. If he scores 263 runs in this tournament, he’ll overtake Chris Gayle’s record of 791 runs and become the highest run-scorer in Champions Trophy history. Additionally, Kohli will break Rahul Dravid’s record for the most half-centuries in the Champions Trophy. With 5 half-centuries already under his belt, Kohli is just two half-centuries away from claiming the top spot.
