Image: Virat Kohli became the first Indian and sixth overall to score 4000 international runs / © CricToday
The third ODI between India and England at the Narendra Modi Stadium saw Virat Kohli achieve a historic milestone, becoming the first Indian to score 4000 international runs against England. He is only the sixth player in history to achieve this feat, having scored 1991 runs in Tests (28 matches), 648 in T20Is (21 matches), and 1361 in ODIs (38 matches). Kohli joins Ricky Ponting as the only player to reach 4000 international runs against three different teams — Australia, West Indies, and England.
Kohli’s landmark moment came in the seventh over when he played a classic wristy flick for a boundary off Saqib Mahmood. He missed the first ODI due to a knee injury and struggled in the second, scoring just five runs. However, in this match, he looked in good touch, reaching 17 off 26 balls with three fours at the time of writing, as India stood at 48/1 after Rohit Sharma’s dismissal.
Despite a lean patch, Kohli appears determined to anchor India’s innings alongside Shubman Gill. His achievement further cements his legacy as one of cricket’s greats, with only a select few — like Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara — coming close to such consistent dominance across multiple oppositions.