Virat Kohli Breaks Sachin’s Record as India Puts Pakistan on the Edge of Early Champions Trophy Elimination

Cricketing legend Virat Kohli has achieved the remarkable feat of becoming the fastest player and only the third individual to reach 14,000 runs in one-day international cricket, shortly before notching up a record-breaking 51st century in the ODI format.

Kohli’s unbeaten 100 guided India to a six-wicket triumph over their long-standing rivals Pakistan in their Group A encounter during the Champions Trophy, putting the hosts in danger of an early tournament exit.

Beginning the day with 13,985 runs, Kohli batted for the 287th time in his career.

He finished the match on 100 not out, striking the winning boundary as India successfully chased down the target, winning with 45 balls to spare.

“We lost Rohit (Sharma) early and my responsibility was to manage the middle overs against spin while minimising risks,” Kohli commented.

“This approach allowed me to play the way I usually do in ODIs.”

Prior to Kohli, the record for the fastest to 14,000 ODI runs was held by India’s Sachin Tendulkar, who achieved it in 350 innings.

Despite Kohli’s achievement, Tendulkar remains the all-time leading run-scorer in ODIs, amassing a staggering 18,426 runs over 452 innings. Another retired batting icon, Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara, concluded his career with 14,234 runs in 380 innings.

India and Pakistan faced off at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, even though the tournament is officially hosted by Pakistan, as India is competing in its league matches – and possibly knockout rounds – in the United Arab Emirates.

India successfully posted a total of 244 runs, finishing at 4-244 in 42.3 overs. Shreyas Iyer contributed a valuable 56 runs off 67 deliveries, forming a solid partnership of 114 runs off 128 balls with Kohli for the third wicket.

Earlier, Kuldeep Yadav claimed 3-40, helping to dismiss Pakistan for 241 runs in 49.4 overs after they won the toss and opted to bat. Saud Shakeel was the top scorer for Pakistan, making 62 runs off 76 balls and sharing a significant 104-run partnership with captain Mohammad Rizwan, who managed 46 runs.

With this victory, India tops Group A with four points and has effectively secured a spot in the semi-finals. They are set to play New Zealand in their final league match in Dubai on March 2.

Pakistan will head back to face Bangladesh on Thursday, facing the prospect of a painful exit from its own tournament.