Joe Root is rapidly approaching Sachin Tendulkar’s record of most Test runs, but how close can Virat Kohli get to Tendulkar’s record aggregate of ODI runs?
Kohli pushes Lockie Ferguson towards wide mid-wicket at the Wankhede Stadium and characteristically sprints back for his second run. Then, as he celebrates his 50th ODI hundred – a milestone no one else has attained – local hero Tendulkar stands up on his feet to acknowledge the moment. Kohli reciprocates with a bow.
It was a significant moment. Tendulkar had to score only 19 hundreds to break the world record. When he retired, no one else had more than 30 ODI hundreds. In the constantly shrinking format of ODIs, it should have seemed unlikely that anyone would go past his record. But so ominous was Kohli’s hundred-scoring rate that he always seemed to be in contention. His post-Covid dip in form affected him less in ODIs than in Test cricket.
The viral clip was replayed many times since that day in the 2023 World Cup semi-final. Once the buzz subsided, a question arose: what next for Kohli? Tendulkar’s 18,426 runs, of course. En route, there is Kumar Sangakkara (14,234), whom Kohli needs only 54 runs to go past.
India’s ODI schedule ahead of the 2027 World Cup
| Month | ODIs | Opposition | Venue |
| October 2025 | 3 (2 left) | Australia | away |
| November 2025 | 3 | South Africa | home |
| January 2026 | 3 | New Zealand | home |
| June 2026 | 3 | Afghanistan | home |
| July 2026 | 3 | England | away |
| September 2026 | 3 | New Zealand | away |
| December 2026 | 3 | Sri Lanka | home |
India are set to play 20 more ODIs until April 2027. However, the World Cup will be played in October, and the period from the following May to October is not covered under the 2025-2027 FTP.
India will almost certainly play a few more ODIs in the lead-up to the World Cup. Let us assume they play 10. Let us also assume that Kohli plays in every single one of these 30 ODIs. Where does that place him?
1st ODI, Australia vs India
vs
- Ball by ball Over
Mission 18,426: How close can Kohli get to Tendulkar before the World Cup?
Tendulkar’s 18,426 runs have come at 39.8 an ODI. Kohli, meanwhile, scores at 46.8 a game. That will get him 1,404 runs – about a third of the difference between Tendulkar and him at this point.
But what if Kohli rediscovers his incredible peak that he scaled between 2016 and 2018? During that period, he played exactly 50 ODIs – and scored at an astonishing 68 runs per game. If he scores at that rate, he will score a phenomenal 2,040 before the World Cup.
If he does get there and adds a few hundreds in the World Cup, another couple of years may give him a serious chance of breaking the record.
Unlikely? Perhaps. Impossible? Not quite. Tendulkar, the man he is chasing, had two peaks himself. Between 2009 and 2011, he averaged 49.7 per ODI (significantly more than his career rate).
Tendulkar was nearly 36 when he entered that phase. Kohli is about to turn 37. That Kohli will surpass him is improbable but not impossible.
