Virat Kohli is on the verge of breaking a significant cricketing milestone as he needs just 58 runs to surpass Sachin Tendulkar’s record for being the fastest to 27,000 international runs. With the Indian team set to face Bangladesh in a Test series starting on September 19, cricket fans are eagerly waiting to see the 35-year-old Kohli in action, now focusing solely on Tests and ODIs after retiring from T20Is.
While comparisons between Kohli and Tendulkar have long been drawn, Kohli himself acknowledges that Tendulkar is irreplaceable in cricketing history. Yet, Kohli’s consistent performances have brought him close to surpassing some of Tendulkar’s incredible achievements. Kohli, with 80 international centuries to his name, is only behind Tendulkar, who holds the record with 100 centuries.
The record that Kohli is about to break was set by Tendulkar, who took 623 innings (226 Test innings, 396 ODI innings, 1 T20I innings) to reach 27,000 international runs. Kohli, however, is set to achieve this milestone in just 591 innings, having already accumulated 26,942 runs across formats. If he can score the required 58 runs within his next eight innings, he will become the first cricketer in the 147-year history of international cricket to achieve this feat in less than 600 innings.
Beyond Kohli and Tendulkar, only two other players have crossed the 27,000-run mark in international cricket: Ricky Ponting from Australia and Kumar Sangakkara from Sri Lanka, further highlighting the significance of Kohli’s potential achievement.
In another exciting development, there is speculation about the revival of the Afro-Asia Cup, a tournament that could see cricket superstars like Kohli and Pakistan’s Babar Azam team up, or pace spearheads Shaheen Afridi and Jasprit Bumrah bowling in tandem. This potential collaboration between Indian and Pakistani players would be a rare and thrilling sight for fans.
Kohli’s upcoming performances will not only be crucial for India’s success in the Bangladesh Test series but could also mark a new chapter in cricketing history, adding another accolade to his already illustrious career.
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