NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli and records continue to go hand in hand and the Indian batsman marked another milestone in his illustrious career when he took the field in the first of the three-match ODI series against New Zealand at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi, Vadodara. With this performance, Kohli officially surpassed former India captain Sourav Ganguly to become the player with the fifth-highest number of One Day International appearances for India.
Kohli marked his 309th ODI for India, moving ahead of Ganguly, who ended his career with 308 games in the format. Only four Indians now rank above Kohli on the all-time list of ODI appearances – Sachin Tendulkar (463), MS Dhoni (347), Rahul Dravid (340) and Mohammad Azharuddin (334). Given Kohli’s current fitness level and workload management, he is widely expected to rise further up this elite list in the near future.With his focus firmly on the 2027 ODI World Cup, the 36-year-old is likely to move past Azharuddin and Dravid in the list of appearances.
Most appearances for India in ODIs
| player | ODI appearances |
|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | 463 |
| MS Dhoni | 347 |
| Rahul Dravid | 340 |
| M Azharuddin | 334 |
| Virat Kohli* | 309 |
| Sourav Ganguly | 308 |
Kohli’s appetite for records isn’t just limited to performances. He enters the New Zealand series with 27,975 international runs and is also on the verge of becoming the second-highest run-scorer in the history of the sport across all formats. He needs just 42 runs to overtake Sri Lanka star Kumar Sangakkara (28,016 runs) and move into second place behind Sachin Tendulkar.
