The former India skipper Virat Kohli became the fastest Indian batter to reach 26,000 international runs on Thursday. The 34-year-old batter reached this feat when he completed his 77th run while taking part in the ongoing World Cup clash against Bangladesh at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. The Delhi-based batter took just 567 innings to reach 26000 runs, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s feat as the Master Blaster attained the milestone in 600 innings.
Despite achieving the personal milestone, Kohli ended up getting his 78th international hundred with a maximum over long-on, helping his team continue its unbeaten streak at the ICC World Cup 2023 with a seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh. Kohli came out to bat after skipper Rohit Sharma departed on the score of 48 runs. After starting his innings by facing two consecutive free-hits, Kohli then smashed a boundary and six to open his account.
Virat also became only the fourth batter to collect 26,000 international runs. The likes of Sachin Tendulkar (34,357), Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara (27,757), and Australia's Ricky Ponting (27,368) are already there in the list. Talking about Kohli's numbers, as of now he has collected 8,676 runs in 111 Test matches with an average of 49.29 with the help of 29 centuries and as many fifties in Tests. Virat has 4,008 runs across 115 T20Is at an average of 52.73 while in 285 ODIs, he has recorded 13,342 runs at an average of 58.00.
After India defeated the Bangla Tigers, Kohli came out to speak to the broadcasters. He said, "Sorry for stealing it (PoTM award) from Jaddu, I wanted to make a big contribution. I have had a few fifties in World Cups, haven't really converted them. I just wanted to finish the game off this time around and hang on till the end which is what I have done over the years for the team. I was telling Shubman, even if you dream about a situation like that, you'll just go back to sleep, you won't think it's real. It was a dream start for me, first four balls, two free-hits, a six and a four. Just calms you down gets you into the innings."
"The pitch was pretty good and it allowed me to play my game - just time the ball, hit the gaps, run hard and get the boundaries whenever needed. There's a great atmosphere in the change room, we are loving each others' company, the spirit is there for everyone to see on the field. That's why it's translating like that on the field. We understand it's a long tournament, you need to create some momentum in the change room for the guys to come out and play like this. It's a special feeling playing at home, playing in front of all these people, we just want to make the most of it", he added.