KL Rahul, Team India’s keeper-batter, paid tribute to Virat Kohli ahead of his 300th ODI, stating it’s hard to put into words how exceptional Kohli has been. He also expressed great joy seeing the former India captain score a century in the previous match.
Kohli will play his 300th ODI when India faces New Zealand in their final group match of the 2025 Champions Trophy in Dubai on Sunday, March 2. Only six other Indian batters have reached this milestone: Sachin Tendulkar (463), MS Dhoni (350), Rahul Dravid (344), Mohammad Azharuddin (334), Sourav Ganguly (311), and Yuvraj Singh (304).
In 299 ODIs, Virat Kohli has scored 14,085 runs at an average of 58.20, with a strike rate of 93.41, including a record 51 centuries and 73 half-centuries. Speaking at a press conference ahead of the India vs New Zealand match, Rahul praised Kohli and said (via Hindustan Times):
“That’s (300) a lot of ODI matches. Words fall short to express how good a player he has been and what a great servant of Indian cricket he has been. Really happy to see that he got a hundred in the last game as well, and (he is) batting really well. For a player of his caliber, it was about time that he scored that big and a match-winning century.”
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He also praised India’s strong batting, with Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Shreyas Iyer in form, and expressed hope that Rohit and Kohli continue to score more centuries.
“It’s a great place for us as a team to be in where Rohit, Shubman, and Virat’s been in good form. Shreyas has played his part as well. Against England, he was striking the ball really well,” Rahul stated.
“Virat, obviously, is very important part of the team. We are always looking up to Virat and Rohit to step up and score in big games, that’s what they have been able to do for so many years. Hopefully, there are many more hundreds and many more games left in them,” the keeper-batter added.
“That’s a huge milestone” – Michael Bracewell ahead of Virat Kohli’s 300th ODI
New Zealand all-rounder Michael Bracewell commended Kohli ahead of his 300th one-day international, calling it a remarkable accomplishment. During a press conference before the India vs New Zealand 2025 Champions Trophy match in Dubai, Bracewell stated (as reported by Cricbuzz):
“That’s a massive, massive achievement. 300 games across a career is very impressive. And then to put that in just one format is amazing. I think it’s a testament to the way that he’s gone about his career.”
“I saw it firsthand at RCB, how he sort of prepared for each match. And it’s very impressive. And he’s one of a number of class players in the Indian line-up,” the 34-year-old went on to add.
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