Virat Kohli Becomes First Batter to Score 13,000 ODI Runs at Number Three
Virat Kohli became the first batter to reach 13,000 ODI runs at number three, passing the mark in the 1st ODI against New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland.
Records in one-day cricket usually fall by small margins. This one was built innings by innings, at the most demanding batting position in the format, until Virat Kohli stood alone beyond a line no one else has reached.
Highlights
- Virat Kohli became the first batter to score 13,000 ODI runs batting at number three
- He reached the mark in the 1st ODI vs New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland, needing 12 runs
- Next on the list: Ricky Ponting 12,662, Kumar Sangakkara 9,747, Jacques Kallis 7,774, Kane Williamson 6,504
This is the follow-up to our match coverage — read India vs New Zealand 1st ODI in Auckland: Gill Wins Toss, Rohit and Kohli in Spotlight for the toss and team context. The milestone itself is reported by ABP Live, 5 November 2026: Kohli became the first batter to score 13,000 runs batting at number three, during the first ODI against New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland on Wednesday, needing just 12 runs to cross the mark.
The list he now leads by a distance
ABP Live listed the top five at number three as: Kohli 13,000+, Ricky Ponting 12,662, Kumar Sangakkara 9,747, Jacques Kallis 7,774 and Kane Williamson 6,504 (ABP Live, 5 November 2026). ABP Live also noted no batter apart from Kohli and Ponting has scored 10,000 runs at number three in ODI cricket.
That gap is the story. Number three faces the new ball when early wickets fall and sets the tempo when openers fly — doing it for this long, at this volume, is why the record may stand for years. Compare the consistency theme with Pakistan climbing to fourth in the ICC ODI rankings on 104 points.
Consistency behind the numbers
ABP Live reported that out of Kohli’s 306 ODI innings, 251 have come at number three, with an average of more than 61 at the position (ABP Live, 5 November 2026). It is not a short peak; it is a career defined at one position.
ABP Live also reported Kohli holds the record for most centuries in men’s ODI cricket, with 55 hundreds, and has accumulated more than 15,000 ODI runs in total (ABP Live, 5 November 2026).
Why this record is so hard to break
A challenger would need more than talent. They would need a decade-plus run at number three, a team that never moves them, fitness across eras, and the volume of ODI cricket that modern schedules increasingly squeeze. Kohli’s mark combines all four.
That is why this Auckland innings will be remembered beyond the match result — and why the match story in our 1st ODI coverage from Eden Park now carries a historic footnote.
