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India’s veteran no.3 batter Virat Kohli returns to action in the ODI series opener against England on July 14. Ahead of the first ODI at Edgbaston, Birmingham, England’s white-ball head coach Brendon McCullum has hailed Kohli’s competitive spirit. He recalled when he was part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 and how Kohli left nothing on the field.
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“I had the privilege of playing with him for a year at RCB. I got to share the dressing room with him, got to know him and thoroughly enjoyed his company. He's a highly competitive person and leaves nothing out on the field. He plays with all his heart and is an immense cricketer," McCullum said in a video shared by England Cricket Board (ECB) on X.
"He's inspired generations of people to love cricket. He's one of those players who transcends the sport. He's become a real rockstar, not just in cricket or India, but around the world and across different sports. When his time is up, his legacy will live on long after he's played the game," he added.
Kohli had missed the three-ODI series against Afghanistan last month due to a hamstring injury he picked up during the IPL 2026 final against Shubman Gill-led Gujarat Titans (GT). McCullum hopes Kohli does not make runs in the ODI runs against England but hailed him as an 'absolute champion'.
Kohli to be India’s highest ODI scorer vs England in England?
Meanwhile, Kohli can achieve several milestones in the ODI series against England. He is currently India's fourth-highest run-scorer in ODIs against England on English soil. He has 581 runs from 16 innings. Rahul Dravid is at the top with 648 runs, followed by Sachin Tendulkar (639 runs) and MS Dhoni (613 runs). Kohli needs 68 more runs to leave Dravid, Tendulkar and Dhoni behind.
Will Kohli break Dhoni’s ODI record vs England?
In the ODI series, Kohli can also surpass Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni on the list of highest run-scorers in India-England ODI history. Kohli has 1,397 runs from 38 innings. The top spot belongs to Dhoni with 1,546 runs, followed by Yuvraj (1,523 runs) and Tendulkar (1,455 runs). Kohli needs 150 more runs in the series to dethrone Dhoni on the list.
A unique feat in ODIs away from home awaits Kohli
Kohli also needs 70 more runs to become eighth batter to score 8,000 or more ODI runs away from home or neutral venue. The top spot belongs to Tendulkar (11,450 runs). The next six batters on the list are Sanath Jayasuriya (9,550 runs), Kumar Sangakkara (9,510 runs), Inzamam-ul-Haq (9,065 runs), Mahela Jayawardene (8,604 runs), Ricky Ponting (8,298 runs) and Sourav Ganguly (8,253 runs).
Kohli’s ODI record in Birmingham
The ODI series opener will be played at Edgbaston, Birmingham. Kohli has a good record at the venue. From seven innings, he has scored 335 runs, averaging 111.66 at a strike rate of 107.02. He is yet to score an ODI century in Birmingham but has three fifties. He is second among India batters with most ODI runs in Birmingham. Rohit Sharma is ahead with 447 runs from six innings.
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