When India play England in the second ODI on Sunday at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, batting legend Virat Kohli, who is expected to return from an injury scare will be aiming for a historic record. In ODI cricket, the 36-year-old batting legend is currently 94 runs short from hitting the 14,000-run mark. If he achieves this milestone on Sunday, he will join the likes of the great Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara as the third batter in ODI cricket history to accomplish the feat.
Kohli has been having trouble staying consistent. His century against Australia in the Perth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was his best performance. He has not been playing at his best since the T20 World Cup 2024, though, so a significant knock on his return to the team may give India a huge confidence boost as they try to wrap up their Champions Trophy 2025 preparations.
Virat can break couple of Sachin Tendulkar's records
India want to win the second ODI and take an unbeatable lead in the series. With the victory in the last game, India can put the series behind them and hope to test the remaining players to play in the final.
Additionally, Kohli will try to break Sachin Tendulkar's record. In all formats, the latter holds the record for most runs scored by an Indian batter against England. Tendulkar's record of 3990 runs can be surpassed by Kohli who is currently at 3979 and needs 12 runs to get past the God of Cricket.
Kohli would also tie Sachin's record for most hundreds against England if he continues to score in the triple figures in Cuttack. With nine tons under his belt, Sachin leads the field, while Kohli trails by one with eight hundred.
Furthermore, Kohli would surpass Tendulkar for the most half-centuries against English opponents in all three forms if he reached the 50-run milestone. It should be mentioned that Tendulkar had only played one match in the T20 international format, whereas Kohli had the opportunity to play far more T20I cricket during his career. Nevertheless, in the run-up to a big ICC event, Kohli scoring a lot would be extremely beneficial for the squad.