When Team India takes the field in the first match of the One Day (ODI) series against New Zealand on January 11, all eyes will once again be on Virat Kohli. The reason is simple—King Kohli has a golden opportunity to break a historic record of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.

This first ODI between India and New Zealand will be played in Vadodara. The Indian batsman who has scored the most runs against New Zealand in ODI cricket is currently Sachin Tendulkar. The Master Blaster had scored 1750 runs in 42 ODI matches against the Kiwi team between 1990 and 2009, which includes 5 centuries and 8 half-centuries.

How close is Kohli to the record?

Virat Kohli has so far scored 1657 runs in 33 ODI matches against New Zealand. During this period, he has scored 6 centuries and 9 half-centuries. That means Kohli needs only 94 more runs to leave Sachin Tendulkar behind.

Considering the form in which Virat Kohli has been seen in recent times and his record against New Zealand, it is being speculated that this record can be broken in the very first match of the series.

Kohli is a player of records

Virat Kohli’s performance on big occasions in ODI cricket has always been special. Big targets, strong opposition and pressure – in these three situations Kohli has often created history with his game. In such a situation, Vadodara grounds can witness another memorable chapter.

ODI squads of both teams

Indian team:
Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal.

New Zealand ODI Team:
Mitchell Bracewell (captain), Adi Ashok, Christian Clarke, Josh Clarkson, Devon Conway, Jack Foulkes, Mitch Haye, Kyle Jamieson, Nick Kelly, Jayden Lennox, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Michael Ray, Will Young

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