Virat Kohli will be aiming to break multiple ODI records as he gets ready to face New Zealand in a five-match series beginning at Eden Park in Auckland on Wednesday.
Published: November 3, 2026, 12:43 PM IST
Share Article
https://www.india.com/sports/cricket/ind-vs-nz-2026-1st-odi-virat-kohli-sets-sights-on-viv-richards-record-in-five-match-series-8541772/
Team India batter Virat Kohli will be in action in ODI series against New Zealand(Photo: IANS)
India vs New Zealand 2026 1st ODI: Indian cricket legend Virat Kohli will return to international cricket after a break of couple of month as Team India begin a five-match ODI series against New Zealand At Eden Park in Auckland on WednesdayNot only is Kohli chasing Sachin Tendulkar’s remarkable record of 100 international centuries, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter will also look to surpass West Indies legend Vivian Richards.
Kohli has so far notched up 16759 runs in 353 List A games in his careerThe 37-year-old Delhi batter can go past Richards tally of 16995 runs by scoring another 237 runs in the five-match ODI series against the Black CapsRichards had played his final List A game back in 1993.
The former India captain has piled up 60 centuries and 88 fifties in his List A career till dateRichards, on the other hand, retired with 26 centuries and 109 fifties in his List A career.
RETURN OF THE KING
Virat Kohli is back to take on the Black Caps and it’s fair to say he has a pretty good ODI record against them.
Can he get an eighth century? Tune in to find out!
New Zealand v India, watch every match live on Fox Cricket, available on Kayo Sports.
#cricket #nzvind #ODIseries #IndianCricket #ViratKohli #CricketDebate
— Fox Cricket (@FoxCricket) November 3, 2026
Former England captain Graham Gooch leads the list of batters with the most List A runsThe foemer England opener had scored 22211 runs in 613 games with 44 centuriesGooch is followed by former England teammate Graeme Hick, who scored 22059 runs.
India legend Sachin Tendulkar finished his List A career with 21999 runs and played his last game in the format in 2012Sachin finished his ODI career with 18426 runs, the most by any batter in the format.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner expected home crowds to come up in great numbers with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli featuring in the series“We’ve had some really good crowds throughout the T20 series, and I expect that to continue with Rohit and Virat hereWe know how good they areAlthough they are getting on in their careers, they are still playing very well, as we saw in the recent series against the West Indies,” he said.
Virat Kohli can move past Sachin Tendulkar
Star India batter can also surpass Tendulkar with another century in the ODI seriesBoth Kohli and Tendulkar are currently level with 60 List A tons and the former can become the sole record-holder by crossing the 100-run mark again.
Kohli has also won ‘Player of the Series’ in ODIs in South Africa, Australia and England already in his careerIf he can win this title in New Zealand, he will become the first Indian cricketer to win ‘Player of the Series’ award in all SENA countries.
He also needs only 12 runs to become the first-ever batter to score 13000 runs at the No3 positionWhile batting in this position, he has already notched up 48 centuries and 69 fifties with a best of 183.
Kohli is also 54 runs away from surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s record of most runs in ODI run-chasesHe has piled up 8667 runs in 168 innings of 179 matches while chasing at an average of 66.16 with 30 centuries and 45 fiftiesTendulkar leads the tally while chasing in ODIs with 8720 runs.
