Virat Kohli slams his record-breaking seventh ODI ton versus NZ
18 Jan 2026

Indian batter Virat Kohli has once again shown his masterclass in another ODI run-chase.

He rescued the hosts as they attempted to chase 338 against New Zealand in the 3rd ODI at Indore's Holkar Cricket Stadium.

With India down to 71/4, Kohli rebuilt the innings and added an 88-run stand with Nitish Kumar Reddy. He eventually raced to his 54th ODI century.

Shaky start for India
Rescue

Chasing a mammoth target, India banked on openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. However, Zakary Foulkes ended the 28-run stand by dismissing Rohit.

Although Kohli and Gill helped India recover from the loss, the skipper's dismissal brought them to 45/2.

While the former held his end, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul departed in quick succession. India were 71/4 by 12.5 overs.

Another masterful ton from Kohli
Recovery

The flurry of wickets didn't affect Kohli, who displayed his resounding drives. He found a reliable partner in Reddy.

Kohli and Reddy constantly rotated the strike while finding boundaries. They took India past 150.

Reddy's departure against the run of play meant India were reeling at 159/5.

Kohli, joined by first Ravindra Jadeja and then Harshit Rana, completed a 91-ball ton.

Kohli's ton goes in vain
Knock

Despite losing both Reddy and Jadeja before the 200-run mark, Kohli kept India in the hunt.

He found support from Harshit Rana, whose blistering half-century brought down the required run-rate.

However, his dismissal left Kohli with the task of getting India home. With India's tail exposed, Kohli departed after scoring a 108-ball 124 (10 fours and 3 sixes).

India eventually lost by 41 runs.

Seventh ton against NZ
Record

According to ESPNcricinfo, Kohli completed his seventh ton against New Zealand in ODI cricket.

He now has the most centuries in India-NZ ODIs, breaking a tie with his countryman Virender Sehwag (6). Only two other players have five tons in this regard.

Overall, Kohli has the most 50-plus scores against the Kiwis in the format (17). He is behind Australia's Ricky Ponting (18).

Other records attained by Kohli
Record

Kohli scored his 10th ton against New Zealand across formats, the most for a batter.

According to Cricbuzz, the 37-year-old now has ODI hundreds at most venues (35). He surpassed Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar (34).

Kohli hammered his 10th century in 300-plus run-chases in ODI cricket. He averages 62.67 in this regard.

It was his ninth ODI ton in a losing cause.

His stellar career numbers
Career

Overall, Kohli extended his century tally in ODI cricket to 54. He is the only player with over 50 ODI tons.

The Indian batter is currently the second-highest run-scorer in the format, only behind Tendulkar (18,426).

In a stellar career, Kohli has racked up 14,797 runs from 311 ODIs at an incredible average of 58.71. His tally also includes 77 half-centuries.