‘King’ returns after 6 months, Mission 1500, Virat Kohli ready to break Sachin’s world record in 300th ODI innings

Whenever Virat Kohli steps on the cricket field, it seems as if time stops. But for the last six months, the eyes of Indian cricket fans were yearning to see their favorite hero in the blue jersey. Kohli, who last played against New Zealand in January, took a long break. After this, he remained out of the ODI series against Afghanistan also due to injury. Now on July 14, when the first ODI match between India and England starts, the eyes of the whole world will be focused only on Virat Kohli. This is not just a match, but a historic comeback of the greatest batsman of modern cricket.

This phase of Virat Kohli’s career is very unique and strategic. He completely maintained distance from the recent T20 International matches, even the T20 World Cup and the T20 series against Ireland and England. Not only this, Kohli, who has also said goodbye to Test cricket, is now focusing only on the ODI format. This simply means that Kohli now wants to make the last phase of his international career very special. Whenever he says goodbye to ODI cricket, it will be his complete retirement from international cricket, which makes this series even more emotional and important.

Touching the figure of 15,000 runs in the history of ODI cricket is like a dream. Sachin Tendulkar, who is called the God of Cricket, is ruling alone at this pinnacle with 18,426 runs. But now Virat Kohli is very close to creating history. He is just 203 runs away from the magical figure of 15,000 ODI runs. Currently he is at second place in the list of batsmen scoring the most runs. As soon as Kohli crosses these 203 runs, he will become the second batsman in the world and second from India to be a part of this elite club. This milestone will prove why Kohli is counted among the greatest players of all time.

It is Kohli’s nature to chase records, but as soon as he takes the field in this match, another unique record will be added to his name. As soon as Virat steps on the crease to bat in the first ODI against England, it will be the 300th innings of his ODI career. In a format where it is almost impossible to maintain form and fitness for years, Kohli’s ability to remain the backbone of India for 300 innings shows unmatched dedication. This figure is not just the story of his survival, but is a testimony to his ruling world cricket for three hundred innings.

Virat Kohli is not only going to touch the figure of 15,000 runs, but he is going to do it in a style that will be remembered for centuries. The great Sachin Tendulkar took 359 innings to complete his 15,000 ODI runs. In contrast, Virat Kohli has just played his 299th innings. This means that Kohli has a huge and safe buffer to reach this milestone a full 60 innings before Sachin. If he scores the remaining 203 runs in this three-match series against England, he will become the fastest batsman in the world to score 15,000 ODI runs.

Scoring runs in the world of cricket is one thing, but the consistency and speed with which Kohli has scored runs is incredible. Even after playing almost 300 innings, Kohli’s batting average remains around 60 (58.71), while his strike rate is above 90. In modern cricket, where batsmen lose their wickets due to aggression, Kohli has played the role of both anchor and finisher very well. Maintaining an average of 60 and a strike rate of 90+ for such a long period proves that Kohli is the real ’emperor’ of this format of the game.

The story of Kohli reaching this milestone started in the year 2008, when a young, aggressive and enthusiastic Delhi boy wore the blue jersey of the Indian team. From then till today, i.e. in the last 18 years, Kohli has transformed himself from an ordinary player to the greatest icon. He has played a total of 311 matches in his career so far, in which there were many ups and downs, pressure of captaincy and struggle for form, but his spirit never diminished. His journey tells the story of the golden era of Indian cricket.

Kohli’s hunger for runs can be gauged from the number of his centuries and half-centuries. He has scored a total of 14,797 runs while remaining unbeaten 47 times in 299 innings of 311 matches played so far. During this period, he has scored 54 brilliant centuries and 77 unmatched half-centuries. Scoring 54 centuries in ODI cricket weighs more than the runs scored in the entire career of any common player. His highest individual score is 183 runs, which he made against Pakistan in the Asia Cup. These figures show that when Kohli walks, the opposing teams remain mere silent spectators.

Virat Kohli will celebrate his 38th birthday at the end of this year. At this age players usually plan to retire or say goodbye to the game, but Kohli still has his eyes set on the biggest prize in the future. His target is the ODI World Cup to be held next year i.e. 2027. His decision to leave Test and T20 completely is also a part of this strategy so that he can keep his body completely fit and give his full strength in making India the world champion once again next year. His passion is an inspiration for the youth.

This comeback of Virat Kohli is not just about runs and records, but it is a celebration of the fact that we are seeing history being made in front of our eyes. Whenever Kohli decides to put a full stop to this most beautiful journey of cricket, he will have established such records, breaking which will be like climbing an Everest for the coming generations. This series against England is the beginning of writing a new and last golden script of Kohli’s career. The whole world is eager to see how much higher this all-time great hero of the game will inscribe his name in the books of cricket.