Page 38 - The Indian EYE 012326

STUMP VISION JANUARY 23, 2026 | The Indian Eye 38

Virat Kohli Breaks Records—and Shows

Why Numbers Never Tell the Full Story

Even on a rare off day with the bat, Virat Kohli underlined his

enduring greatness by reclaiming the No. 1 ODI ranking and becoming India’s

highest run-scorer against New Zealand

OUR BUREAU

Mumbai
irat Kohli’s return to the top of the ODI
batting rankings has been accompanied by
Va familiar paradox—dominance without
drama, milestones without milestones knocks,
and greatness that does not always require a
three-figure score. His first outing after reclaim-
ing the No. 1 spot may have yielded just 23 runs in
Rajkot, but the numbers around that innings told
a far bigger story.
On Wednesday, Kohli became India’s lead-
ing run-getter against New Zealand in ODI his-
tory, overtaking Sachin Tendulkar, a name that
still defines batting excellence in Indian cricket.
In 35 ODIs against the Black Caps, Kohli has
now scored 1,773 runs at a staggering average of
55.4, with six centuries and ten half-centuries. Ten-
dulkar finished with 1,750 runs from 42 matches at
an average of 46.05. It was a quiet passing of the
baton—no raised bat, no celebratory roar—but
deeply symbolic nonetheless.
The Rajkot innings itself was unremarkable by
Kohli’s lofty standards. Fans had hoped the newly
crowned world No. 1 batter would extend his run
of fifty-plus scores in List-A cricket to eight. In-
stead, he fell for a 29-ball 23, undone by Kristian Virat Kohli (ANI file photo)
Clarke. Yet even in dismissal, Kohli’s standards
remained evident—two crisp boundaries, intent land at Vadodara was vintage Kohli—measured, utive ODI fifties. Globally, only a handful—Javed
from ball one, and visible frustration at getting out, controlled, and decisive under pressure. Chasing Miandad and Imam-ul-Haq among them—have
a detail former cricketer Mohammad Kaif would a stiff 301-run target, he anchored the innings with managed longer streaks.
later highlight as emblematic of Kohli’s mindset. calm authority, earning the Player of the Match Beyond the statistics lies the broader con-
That relentless self-demand is precisely why award and guiding India to a four-wicket win. That text of Kohli’s career arc. At 37, he is no longer
Kohli is back at the summit of world cricket. Earli- knock also reinforced another Kohli hallmark: his the young phenom chasing benchmarks; he is the
er in the week, the ICC confirmed that the Indian unmatched record in run chases. With 1,091 runs benchmark. His total of 825 days at the top of
icon had reclaimed the No. 1 ODI batting ranking in successful ODI chases of 300-plus totals, he av- the ODI rankings is the most by an Indian batter
for the first time since July 2021. With 785 rating erages an astonishing 121.22, striking at over 125. and the 10th highest overall. In an era of relent-
points, Kohli edged past New Zealand’s Daryl It is this ability to convert starts into match-win- less scrutiny and evolving formats, sustaining such
Mitchell by the narrowest of margins. It marked ning contributions that sets Kohli apart, according dominance requires not just skill, but adaptability
his 11th separate stint at the top—an extraordinary to Mohammad Kaif. The former India batter re- and mental resilience.
measure of longevity in a format increasingly dom- cently noted that Kohli’s consistency and temper- Even his modest Rajkot innings served as a re-
inated by fleeting peaks. ament give him an edge over contemporaries, in- minder of that resilience. On a day when he failed
The numbers behind this comeback are stag- cluding Rohit Sharma, in ODI cricket. “A score of to convert, Kohli still walked off having rewritten
gering. Since October last year, Kohli has been in 30 or 40 means he will stay till the end and win the history. It was a moment that encapsulated his ca-
relentless form, scoring fifty-plus runs in seven con- match,” Kaif observed, pointing to Kohli’s refusal reer perfectly—where the scoreboard did not ex-
secutive List-A innings. His recent sequence—93, to settle for cameos. plode, but the record books quietly shifted.
77, 131, 65, 102, 135 and 74—reads like a master- That hunger has placed Kohli on the brink of For Indian cricket, Kohli’s resurgence at the
class in consistency across conditions and compe- another record. He already has five successive fif- top is more than personal glory. It offers stability
titions. In 2025 alone, he amassed 651 ODI runs ty-plus scores in ODIs, a feat shared with legends in a transitional phase and reassurance that, when
in 13 matches at an average of 65.10, finishing as such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Ro- the stakes are highest, the man who has defined
India’s leading run-scorer for the calendar year. hit Sharma. One more half-century would make chasing excellence for over a decade remains very
His 93 in the series opener against New Zea- him the first Indian batter to register six consec- much in command.

www.TheIndianEYE.com