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Virat Kohli targets Tendulkar, while Rohit Sharma chases Kallis: Records RoKo can break in New Zealand ODIs
India's ODI series in New Zealand kicks off January 11. Virat Kohli is close to multiple records, while Rohit Sharma looks to move up in ODI all-time list.
India’s ODI calendar moves from South Africa to New Zealand, with a three-match series starting in Vadodara on January 11, before shifting to Rajkot and Indore. The opener is at the BCA Stadium, Kotambi, and the tour rolls into a five-match T20I leg later in the month.
With only three ODIs, the maths gets brutal: there is no long series to smooth out a slow start, and every substantial innings can flip a milestone from distant to immediate.
Virat Kohli: A rivalry crown and a place in history
Kohli begins the series with 1,657 ODI runs against New Zealand, second only to Sachin Tendulkar’s 1,750 in the India-New Zealand head-to-head. That leaves Kohli 94 runs away from becoming the highest run-scorer in this rivalry in ODI cricket.
The bigger all-format chase is even closer. Kohli sits on 27,975 international runs across Tests, ODIs, and T20Is, meaning 25 more runs will take him to 28,000, and if he gets there in this series, he will do it in fewer innings than Sachin Tendulkar (644) and Kumar Sangakkara (666).
There’s also a high-status climb on the all-time combined chart. Sangakkara’s career tally stands at 28,016 runs, so Virat Kohli needs 42 runs to move past him and become the second-highest run-scorer in international cricket, behind Tendulkar.
Also Read: Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma reunion in the nets sets the tone as India set to take on New Zealand in Vadodara
The hard target for Kohli in a short series is the 15,000 ODI runs mark. He has 14,557 ODI runs, so the 15K mark requires 443 runs in three matches - possible only if the series turns into a run-fest for the Indian maestro.
Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma’s most realistic jump is on the ODI all-time run ladder. With 11,516 runs, he is within 64 of Jacques Kallis’ 11,579, the difference between sitting ninth and moving to eighth. For an opener who can change games in 10 overs, it is a chase that will be on the radar from ball one in Vadodara.
The difficult milestone is 12,000 ODI runs. Rohit needs 484 runs in three games, which basically demands at least one huge hundred plus another major score.
In a series that begins as one of India’s stepping stones on the road to the 2027 World Cup, eyes will be on the achievements that these players can achieve.
