Virat Kohli breaks Sachin Tendulkar's record for massive Indian feat; surpasses Ganguly, Dravid to go 2nd in elite list

Former India captain Virat Kohli achieved two milestones during the first ODI of the series against South Africa in Paarl.

India's Virat Kohli achieved two massive feats during the first ODI of the series against South Africa in Paarl on Wednesday. Kohli, playing in his first ODI since being succeeded by Rohit Sharma as the full-time captain of the limited-overs side, went past India legend Sachin Tendulkar as well as skippers Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid for two incredible records.

India's Virat Kohli in action. (REUTERS)

The former India captain broke Tendulkar's record for most runs in away ODIs for the team soon after he came to bat in the 297-run chase. Tendulkar had 5,065 runs in away ODIs and Kohli, surpassing the India great, is now third in the overall list for most away runs in the 50-over format. While Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara (5,518) is far away at the top, Kohli can also surpass Ricky Ponting (5,090) to go second.

The former India captain also had 1,287 runs against the Proteas ahead of the first ODI and surpassed two Indian batting stalwarts – Dravid and Ganguly, as he reached the 27th run in his innings. The former Indian captain remains only behind Tendulkar, who has scored 2,001 runs against South Africa in ODIs. Tendulkar's record is also the highest for a batter against Proteas overall.

In the overall list, Kohli is now the sixth-highest run-scorer against South Africa. Apart from Tendulkar, Kohli remains behind Ricky Ponting (1,879), Kumar Sangakkara (1,789), Steve Waugh (1,581), and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (1,559).

For the first time in nearly five years, Kohli is not playing as a captain of the Indian team - regardless of the format. Last week, the 33-year-old sent shock waves across the cricket fraternity when he announced his decision to step down as the captain of the side in Test cricket. The announcement came merely a day after India faced a 1-2 Test series defeat to South Africa.

Earlier in the first ODI, South Africa put 296/4 on the board with captain Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen scoring brilliant centuries. The hosts had won the toss and opted to bat in Paarl and it was an indifferent performance from the Indian bowlers bar Jasprit Bumrah, who was the most economical in the attack.

The ODI also saw Venkatesh Iyer making his ODI debut while senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also made a return to the team after over four years.