Virat Kohli etched his name in the history books on Wednesday, November 4, by becoming the first batter in the world to score 13,000 runs at the No. 3 position in One-Day Internationals (ODIs).
The Indian batting superstar achieved the landmark during the first ODI against New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland. Chasing a target of 186, Kohli needed 12 runs to reach the milestone and brought it up with the 13th ball of his innings, in the seventh over of India's run chase.
Kohli's achievement further underlines his remarkable consistency and dominance in the format. He has amassed 13,000 runs in 254 matches and 251 innings while batting at No. 3, maintaining an outstanding average of 61.6. His record at the position also includes 48 centuries and 69 half-centuries.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting is the second-highest run-scorer at No. 3 in ODI cricket, with 12,662 runs in 330 innings. Kohli and Ponting remain the only two batters to have crossed the 10,000-run mark at the position.
With this latest milestone, Kohli has once again demonstrated why he is regarded as one of the greatest ODI batters of all time.
Most ODI Runs at No. 3
Player Country Matches Innings Runs Average 100s 50s
Virat Kohli India 254 251 13,000* 61.60 48 69
Ricky Ponting Australia 335 330 12,662 42.48 29 74
Kumar Sangakkara Sri Lanka 243 238 9,747 44.71 18 66
Jacques Kallis South Africa 204 200 7,774 45.72 13 57
Kane Williamson New Zealand 143 140 6,504 51.61 13 44
Babar Azam Pakistan 125 124 6,054 55.54 20 32
Joe Root England 129 123 5,525 53.12 14 37
Dean Jones Australia 132 131 5,100 43.58 7 39
Brian Lara West Indies 109 106 4,447 45.84 12 26
Steve Smith Australia 97 95 4,369 52.01 11 27
Marvan Atapattu Sri Lanka 122 120 4,142 38.35 4 33
Rahul Dravid India 112 109 4,000 38.83 7 27