Vadodara, 11 Jan

India batting stalwart Virat Kohli on Sunday became the fastest player to reach 28,000 runs across formats in international cricket and the second most prolific scorer behind Sachin Tendulkar during the first ODI against New Zealand here.

Playing in his 624th innings, Kohli got to the milestone by hitting a four off New Zealand leg-spinner Adithya Ashok. Tendulkar had reachedthe landmark during his 644th innings, while Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara, only the third player in the 28000-run club, crossed the feat in his 666th innings.

The 37-year-old Kohli had come into the match with 27,975 runs across formats in international cricket. Tendulkar scored 34357 runs from782 innings, while Sangakkara made 28016 runs from 666 innings.

In February 2023, Kohli had become the fastest batter to reach 25,000 runs, achieving the mark in 549 innings, 28 innings quicker than Tendulkar.

In October 2023, Kohli went past 26,000 runs as the quickest to the landmark. A year later, in September 2024, he reached 27,000 runs in his594th innings.