Virat Kohli Breaks Records in First Int’l Match of 2026

Virat Kohli has started 2026 the same way he finished 2025, by rewriting records.

Kohli continued his outstanding run in ODI cricket with a fluent 93 in India’s series-opening win against New Zealand. His knock guided India to a 1-0 lead in the 3-match ODI series and earned him another Player of the Match (POTM) award in a successful chase. 

By the 35th over, India were cruising. A Kohli century looked inevitable until then. However, against the run of play, Kohli fell 7 runs short of his 54th ODI hundred. 

Even then, the dismissal came at the hands of the best bowler on the day. Kyle Jamieson removed Kohli as part of a 4-wicket haul.

Kohli’s 91-ball 93 came in two phases. He struck 6 boundaries while reaching his fifty in 44 balls. After that, he shifted gears. He scored 43 off the next 44 balls, hitting only 3 more boundaries, including a six. On a slow pitch, he went close to 40 deliveries without a boundary, relying on singles and twos. 

Kohli now also has the third highest POTM awards in ODIs with 45 in 309 innings. Sachin Tendulkar leads with 62 awards in 463 innings followed by Sanath Jaayasuriya with 48 in 445 innings.

Virat Kohli Crosses 28,000 Int’l Runs

During the knock, Virat Kohli reached another historic milestone. He crossed 28,000 international runs, becoming the second-highest run-getter across all formats. 

Kohli moved past Kumar Sangakkara (28,016 runs) and now sits behind only Sachin Tendulkar (34,357 runs).

Virat Kohli has moved past Kumar Sangakkara to sit in second place. Can he surpass the great Tendulkar?

Full story: https://t.co/ZqFrCvUmbt pic.twitter.com/42GMqOH2Me

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 12, 2026

Kohli reached 28,068 runs, doing so faster than any other batter. 

He now sits fifth in the most ODI appearances for India with 309 caps. Sachin Tendulkar leads the list with 463 caps followed by MS Dhoni with 347 one-day appearances. Rahul Dravid has 340 while Mohammad Azharuddin has 334.

Virat Kohli’s Golden ODI Run

Since scoring two ducks in Australia in October, Kohli has been in complete control in ODIs. His scores since then read: 74* (vs Australia), 135, 102, 65* (all vs South Africa) and now 93 against New Zealand.

Virat Kohli in the last 5 ODIs:

– 74* (81).
– 135 (120).
– 102 (92).
– 65* (43).
– 93 (91).

469 RUNS AT AN AVERAGE 156.33 WITH A STRIKE OF 109.83. 🤯

IMAGINE SUCH CONSISTENCY WHEN YOU REGISTERED CONSECUTIVE DUCKS PRIOR TO THIS. 🥶 pic.twitter.com/7czJSyQnMm

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) January 11, 2026

That adds up to 469 runs in his last 5 innings at an average of over 155. If the two domestic appearances from Vijay Hazare Trophy are added, he has 50+ scores in each of his last 7 List-A appearances, including 3 hundreds.

With form, fitness and clarity firmly in place, Virat Kohli looks set for another dominant year, with his focus now stretching towards the Cricket World Cup in 2027.