Virat Kohli nears 28,000 international runs, with chance to move into second on all-time list vs. New Zealand on Jan. 10, 2026.

Virat Kohli is just 25 runs away from becoming the third player in history to score 28,000 international runs, with a chance to surpass Kumar Sangakkara for second place on the all-time run list if he scores 42 or more in India’s opening ODI against New Zealand on January 10, 2026. The 35-year-old, who has 27,975 runs in 556 matches with a 52.58 average and 84 centuries, is also being praised by South African legend Allan Donald as the only current player capable of approaching Sachin Tendulkar’s 100-century record. Meanwhile, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer are close to reaching 3,000 ODI runs, with both potentially setting new benchmarks for Indian batsmen.