After a wait of 224 days, both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be back in the Indian team when they take the field during the first ODI against Australia on Sunday: Here are their approaching milestones and the records the duo could break during the three-match series.
Kohli's all-time run tally
Kohli currently has 14,181 ODI runs at an average of 57.88, along with 51 centuries, the most hundreds by a batter in history. He is third on the all-time list of most runs scored in ODIs, behind Kumar Sangakkara (14,234) and Sachin Tendulkar (18,426). Kohli needs 54 more runs to surpass Sangakkara and become the second-highest run scorer in the format.
Kohli also needs to score 67 more runs to overtake Tendulkar and become the highest run-scorer in white-ball cricket. Tendulkar scored 18,436 runs in 463 ODIs and one T20I, while Kohli has 18,369 runs in the two white-ball formats combined.
Rohit's sixes record: Could he surpass Afridi?
Rohit needs six more sixes to become just the second batter in history to smash 350 ODI maximums. In 265 innings, he has 344 sixes, the second-highest in the world. He is also one of three batters to hit more than 300 sixes in the format. Shahid Afridi tops the list, with 351 sixes in 369 innings, while Chris Gayle is at No.3, with 331 sixes. Just eight more from Rohit will see him surpass Afridi and become the highest six-hitter in ODI cricket.
Rohit nearing the 500-match mark
Rohit made his international debut in the ODI against Ireland in 2007, and has since gone on to play 67 Tests, 273 ODIs and 159 T20Is, a total of 499 matches. If he takes the field in the first ODI against Australia on Sunday, it will be his 500th match for India. Only four more from the country have played more: Tendulkar (664), Kohli (550), MS Dhoni (538) and Rahul Dravid (509). Overall, Rohit will become the 11th cricketer to play 500 international matches on Sunday.
Most men's international appearances
| Player Name | Span | Matches Played |
|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | 1989–2013 | 664 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | 1997–2015 | 652 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | 2000–2015 | 594 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | 1989–2011 | 586 |
| Ricky Ponting | 1995–2012 | 560 |
| Virat Kohli | 2008–2025 | 550 |
| Mahendra Singh Dhoni | 2004–2019 | 538 |
| Shahid Afridi | 1996–2018 | 524 |
| Jacques Kallis | 1995–2014 | 519 |
| Rahul Dravid | 1996–2012 | 509 |
| Inzamam-ul-Haq | 1991–2007 | 499 |
| Rohit Sharma | 2007–2025 | 499 |
Rohit first toured Australia to play an ODI in 2008 and has since then played 30 matches against the opposition in the country. In 19 matches against Australia at their home, he has scored 990 runs at an average of 58.23, with four hundreds and two fifties.
Rohit needs 10 more runs in the next three ODIs to become the first Indian to score 1,000 runs against them in Australia, and just the fifth overall. Vivian Richards has the most bilateral ODI runs in Australia, making 1,905 in 40 games.
Rohit nearing 'fifty' of hundreds
Across 499 matches, Rohit has scored 19,700 runs along with 49 hundreds. One more hundred will see him become just the ninth player - and the third Indian - to score 50 international tons. That hundred will also see him go level with Sachin with nine hundreds against Australia, the most by any batter in ODI history. Currently, both Rohit and Kohli have eight ODI hundreds against Australia. Rohit is also 300 runs short of achieving the milestone of 20,000 runs across formats, a feat achieved by only three other Indians - Tendulkar (34,357), Kohli (27,599) and Dravid (24,208).
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