Virat Kohli marked his return to domestic cricket with a major achievement on Wednesday, becoming only the second Indian batter after Sachin Tendulkar to complete 16,000 runs in List A cricket. The milestone was reached during Delhi’s Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Andhra at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Kohli brought up the landmark with the first run of Delhi’s chase of 299, taking his List A total to 16,000 runs in 343 matches. He is now the ninth batter overall to achieve the feat, joining an elite group comprising Graham Gooch, Graeme Hick, Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakkara, Sir Vivian Richards, Ricky Ponting, Gordon Greenidge and Sanath Jayasuriya.
Among all players who have crossed 16,000 List A runs, Kohli boasts the highest average of 57.34. He made his List A debut for Delhi in February 2006 in the Ranji Trophy One Day tournament at the Feroz Shah Kotla, although he did not bat in that match. Nearly two decades later, the 50-over format continues to be his most productive arena.
Virat Kohli Joins Vijay Hazare Trophy After Stellar ODI Series
The former India skipper, who has stepped away from T20 internationals and Test cricket, had confirmed his participation in this season’s Vijay Hazare Trophy. He came into the tournament on the back of an outstanding home ODI series against South Africa, where he struck scores of 135, 102 and an unbeaten 65, performances that earned him the Player of the Series honour.
Although international duties have restricted his domestic outings, Kohli’s record in the 50-over format remains formidable. He currently sits second on the list of highest run scorers in ODI history, trailing only Sachin Tendulkar. Across 308 ODIs, he has piled up 14,557 runs at an average of 58.46 and holds the record for the most centuries in the format with 53.
He is also the quickest batter to reach the 14,000 run mark in ODIs. At the domestic level in 50-over cricket, Virat Kohli has played 16 matches for Delhi, accumulating 910 runs at an average of 60.66, including four hundreds and four fifties. His last Vijay Hazare Trophy appearance was in the 2010 11 season, during which he led the team.
He later turned out for Delhi in the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy in 2013 14, where the side finished runners-up to India Blue. While Kohli has moved past Tendulkar in terms of ODI centuries, the Mumbai great continues to top the overall List A hundreds tally with 60 centuries from 21,999 runs, with Kohli close behind on 57.
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