Virat Kohli Ends Year With 2818 Runs, 3rd in the List for Players With Most Runs in International Cricket

Team India skipper Virat Kohli has been on a record-breaking spree across all three formats of the game and is currently the most accomplished batsman in world cricket. Despite the likes of Steven Smith, Joe Root and Kane Williamson giving him tough competition, Kohli is way ahead of them when it comes to adaptability across all three formats of the game. He has been a champion ODI batsmen but off he has been replicating it even in the longest format which has seen is average rise to 54 from 50 within four innings.

In the ongoing Test series against Sri Lanka, Kohli became the only captain in the world to smash centuries in all 3 Tests of a three-match series. In the process, he also broke Brian Lara’s record of most double centuries as a captain. All of his six double hundreds have come in the last 17 months which goes on to prove what sort of a form he has been in.

During the ODI series against New Zealand, Kohli also went past Ricky Ponting to become the 2^nd highest century maker in ODI cricket with 32 tons behind his name. Only the great Sachin Tendulkar is ahead of him with 49 centuries. With the form he is in it shouldn’t take him more than 4-5 years to break Tendulkar’s record at least in ODI’s.

Kohli also joined the elite list of players with more than 600 runs in 3 or more Test series. The Indian skipper doesn’t have any international commitment this year as he has been rested for the limited overs leg against Sri Lanka. He finished the year with 2818 international runs which is the 3^rd best by any batsmen in a calendar year. The record for most international runs in a calendar year is held by the former Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara with 2868 runs in the year 2014 at an average if 53.11.

Former Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting is 2^nd in the list with 2833 runs. Kohli would have definitely broken the record for most international runs in a calendar year if he was included in the limited overs squad for the Sri Lanka series, but he doesn’t play for records as mentioned by Kohli’s childhood coach a few days earlier and needs sufficient time to rest before the start of the tour of South Africa with India scheduled to play the 1^st Test at Cape Town from January 5.