Each time Virat Kohli walks out to bat nowadays, there is a record that he could toppled or extended. During the first ODI between India and New Zealand at Eden Park, the Indian maestro became the first batter ever to score 13,000 runs at No. 3 in the format.
Kohli entered the match with 12,988 runs at number three and needed 12 to reach the record. He reached it on the 13th delivery of his innings. Kyle Jamieson bowled a good-length delivery outside the off stump; the right-hander shuffled across and tucked it towards deep backward square leg for a single.
This was after he had to walk out to the crease early following the dismissal of Rohit Sharma for a duck. India were 1/1 after the first over of a 186-run chase. The bowling effort for the visitors was led by Arshdeep Singh, who picked up four wickets but conceded 70 runs. However, Anshul Kamboj provided greater efficiency, picking up two for just 22 runs in his 10 overs.
Kohli's formidable record
Ricky Ponting always enters the conversation when it is about number three. The Australian great had 12,662 runs at the position in 330 innings, averaging 42.48 with 29 hundreds and 74 half-centuries. Kohli went past Ponting during the third ODI against New Zealand at Indore earlier this year in January. Now, he has reached 13,000 runs in his 251st innings at the position. He averages 61.61, with 48 hundreds and 69 half-centuries.
{{/usCountry}}Ricky Ponting always enters the conversation when it is about number three. The Australian great had 12,662 runs at the position in 330 innings, averaging 42.48 with 29 hundreds and 74 half-centuries. Kohli went past Ponting during the third ODI against New Zealand at Indore earlier this year in January. Now, he has reached 13,000 runs in his 251st innings at the position. He averages 61.61, with 48 hundreds and 69 half-centuries.
{{/usCountry}}The fact that Kohli has played 79 fewer innings than Ponting at number three and has scored over 300 more runs than him reaffirms the impeccable consistency of the Indian batter.
When compared to other number three batters in the game's history, Kohli's brilliance shines even brighter. Ricky Ponting and Virat Kohli are the only batters to have scored 10,000 ODI runs at number three, with Kohli becoming the first batter to reach 13,000 at the position.
Kumar Sangakkara is the third name on the list with 9,747 runs in 238 innings. Kohli has played only 13 more innings than the Sri Lankan great and has scored over 3,200 more runs. The complexities of cross-era comparisons will always remain, but Kohli has certainly established himself as one of the greatest ever to bat at number three in ODIs.
Only Tendulkar ahead of Kohli
Speaking about cricketing greats and records, Sachin Tendulkar cannot be left out of the discussion. The Indian great holds the record for the most ODI runs at a particular batting position. He scored 15,310 ODI runs while opening the innings. Kohli now sits second on the list; in fact, he has been occupying the position since he overtook Sanath Jayasuriya's tally of 12,740 runs as an opener.
Virat Kohli had 55 ODI hundreds to his name before the first ODI between India and New Zealand. Of those 55, 48 have come at number three, amounting to 87% of his ODI hundreds. He recently completed 15,000 ODI runs against the West Indies in September. So, the records keep tumbling for one of the most prolific ODI batters, and the fans will hope that the caravan continues for as long as possible