India's batting juggernaut Virat Kohli has etched his name deeper into the history books by becoming the highest run-scorer for Men in Blue on English soil in international cricket. Entering the second ODI against England on July 16 with just four runs needed to eclipse Rahul Dravid’s long-standing record, the 37-year-old superstar claimed the milestone in style, cracking a boundary off fast bowler Jofra Archer during the ninth over of the Indian innings.
Kohli's chart-topping journey in the UK began back in 2011, and he has now amassed an impressive 2,646 runs across 75 innings (59 matches). In comparison, the legendary Rahul Dravid accumulated his ,2645 runs in a more compact 56 innings across 46 appearances during his illustrious career spanning from 1996 to 2011.
| Batters | Period | Matches | Innings | Runs | Highest score | Average | Century | Fifty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | 2011-2026 | 59* | 75* | 2646* | 149 | 40.03 | 3 | 18 |
| Rahul Dravid | 1996-2011 | 46 | 56 | 2645 | 217 | 55.10 | 8 | 15 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 1990-2011 | 43 | 56 | 2626 | 193 | 49.54 | 7 | 12 |
| Rohit Sharma | 2009-2026 | 48* | 55* | 2308* | 140 | 49.95 | 9 | 10 |
| Sourav Ganguly | 1996-2007 | 36 | 42 | 1949 | 183 | 47.53 | 4 | 12 |
| Mahendra Singh Dhoni | 2007-2019 | 60 | 59 | 1869 | 92 | 37.38 | 0 | 16 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 2009-2025 | 44 | 51 | 1644 | 107* | 44.43 | 2 | 11 |
| KL Rahul | 2018-2026 | 29 | 43 | 1643 | 149 | 41.07 | 6 | 5 |
| Sunil Gavaskar | 1971-1986 | 34 | 46 | 1583 | 221 | 36.81 | 2 | 11 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 2013-2022 | 33 | 40 | 1478 | 125 | 39.94 | 4 | 4 |
While Kohli now leads all Indian batters in this category, the ultimate crown for visiting players belongs to West Indies great Sir Viv Richards. The legendary Caribbean captain remains the most prolific overseas batsman in England, having accumulated a staggering 3,402 runs in 63 innings over 55 matches between 1975 and 1991.
India's Playing XI:
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan(w), Shreyas Iyer, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna
England's Playing XI:
Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook(c), Jos Buttler(w), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood