Virat Kohli marked a significant milestone by playing in his 300th ODI against New Zealand during the ICC Champions Trophy, becoming the 7th Indian and 18th player overall to achieve this feat. Notably, Kohli is the first cricketer to have played 300 ODIs while also featuring in over 100 Tests and T20Is. Before this match, he had amassed 14,085 runs at an average of 58.20. Although he only scored 11 runs in this game, Kohli previously hit a century against Pakistan, demonstrating his prowess in the ODI format. However, New Zealand posed a challenge, remaining unbeaten in the tournament.
Virat Kohli, the iconic figure in Indian cricket, made history once again on Sunday by playing in his 300th ODI match for India. As India faced New Zealand in their final ICC Champions Trophy Group A encounter, a significant milestone awaited Kohli. Having also played against the Kiwis in his 200th ODI, he became the 7th Indian and the 18th player in history to reach the 300 ODI matches mark. Additionally, a remarkable achievement awaited Virat as he entered his 300th one-day international game. (India vs New Zealand LIVE Updates)
Along with his 300th ODI, Kohli became the first player to participate in 300 one-day internationals while also having played at least 100 Tests and 100 T20Is. Overall, 18 players have achieved this milestone for their countries, but none had featured in 100 matches across both other formats in international cricket.
List of players who have played 300 ODIs:
- Shahid Afridi: 398
- Inzamam-ul-Haq: 378
- Ricky Ponting: 375
- Wasim Akram: 356
- MS Dhoni: 350
- M Muralidaran: 350
- R Dravid: 344
- M Azharuddin: 334
- T Dilshan: 330
- Jacques Kallis: 328
- Steve Waugh: 325
- Chaminda Vaas: 322
- Sourav Ganguly: 311
- Aravinda de Silva: 308
- Yuvraj Singh: 304
- Shaun Pollock: 303
- Chris Gayle: 301
- Virat Kohli: 300*
Before the New Zealand match, Virat had played in 299 ODIs, amassing 14,085 runs at an average of 58.20 and a strike rate of 93.41. In the 300th ODI, however, he could only add 11 runs to his tally.
Virat has set numerous records while accumulating 14,000 runs in ODI cricket. He is the fastest player in history to reach the milestones of 8,000 runs (175 innings), 9,000 runs (194 innings), 10,000 runs (205 innings), 11,000 runs (222 innings), 12,000 runs (242 innings), 13,000 runs (287 innings), and 14,000 runs (299 innings) in the 50-over format for India.
Coming into the match against New Zealand, Virat was riding high on a century against Pakistan in India’s previous group game. Despite a dip in form lately, he proved once more that the 50-over format plays to his strengths. This century was his 51st ODI century, which he achieved against India’s arch-rivals in Dubai the previous Sunday.
However, New Zealand poses the toughest challenge India has faced in this tournament thus far. Like Rohit Sharma’s team, the Kiwis have remained unbeaten in the Champions Trophy up to this point. They also clinched the tri-nation ODI series, which included Pakistan and South Africa, prior to the Champions Trophy commencement.
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