Virat Kohli Has the 2nd Most ODI Runs; but Surpassing Sachin Tendulkar Might Be Too Much

During his 168-run stand with Rohit Sharma vs Australia in Sydney, Virat Kohli went past Kumar Sangakkara to become the second highest run-getter in ODI history. Only Sachin Tendulkar is ahead of him now. So the question on everyone’s minds is will Kohli go past Sachin to become No. 1?

Virat Kohli vs Sachin Tendulkar

Kohli’s current tally is 14,255 while Sachin finished with 18.426. That means ‘King’ needs 4172 runs to surpass the ‘Master Blaster’. Is it possible? Easier said than done to be honest. Kohli has scored his runs at a phenomenal rate over the last one-and-a-half decades but this may be a little too much even for him.

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Virat Kohli Up Against Time and Consistency to Beat Sachin Tendulkar

For one thing, time is not on Kohli’s side. He’s nearly 37 and has been playing for 17 years. His future in the team itself is not certain and there is no guarantee he will play in the 2027 ODI World Cup. Even though this is the only platform he plays, it also means that the matches will be spread over a longer period of time. For Kohli to score the remaining runs, he will have to achieve something that is way beyond the realms of normal batting. He will need to become Don Bradman and more in the ODI version.

Let’s assume that Kohli is there for the World Cup and India makes it to the final. Now if we consider that Kohli will play every ODI for India from the 1st game vs South Africa on November 30 to the World Cup final two years from now, then the tally comes to approximately 40 games. There are three ODIs left in 2025, 18 in 2026 and 11 in the World Cup plus if we assume approximately eight in the first few months of 2027 before the ICC event. So a total of 40-odd innings for Kohli to achieve the feat.

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Too Much Even for Virat Kohli

Now suppose Kohli plays 40 innings, he will have to average over 100 in every innings. To be more exact, he must average 104.3 in the next 40 innings to break Sachin’s record. Currently, Kohli averages 57.71 in ODIs. If his average even jumps to somewhere between 60 and 65 in the next 40 innings, that is 2500 more runs which means he will end up well over 1500 runs short of the legend. Having said that, if he gets that close, that itself will be an achievement.

But the odds of Kohli maintaining an average over 100 in the next 40 games is itself outside the realms of normalcy. What’s more, he may not even play that many matches if he is not part of the World Cup plans. He may retire or be dropped due to a lean patch. Plus even if he plays the World Cup, India may not go as far as the final or the semis. There are just too many variables and the expectation of the consistency is a little too much, even for him.

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Virat Kohli the Closest to Sachin’s World Record

So Kohli breaking Sachin’s record for most ODI runs may be hoping for too much. If he somehow does do it, he will be considered second to none in the ODI format, for some he already is. Even if he does not, the benchmark he has set in the 50-over version is something other batters are making their inspiration. He was never the next Sachin, he has always been the first Kohli.

One thing is certain, he is going to hold on to the second spot for quite some time. The closest among active players is Rohit with 11,370 runs and he’s already 38 so not much time left for him either. After that, the nearest active cricketer is Joe Root with 7303. Root turns 35 this year but Sachin’s tally is only a distant dream. Kohli may never get past Sachin, but he’s always going to be the one who came the closest.