After a stellar Vijay Hazare return, Virat Kohli became the fastest to 16,000 List A runs. With 58 centuries in List A cricket, Kohli is closing in on a historic milestone, which he could reach even before completing 100 international centuries.
Former India captain and star batter Virat Kohli recently made a comeback to the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he played two match-winning knocks for Delhi against Andhra and Gujarat. Kohli made his first appearance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy after 15 years, with his last match for Delhi in the tournament coming way back in February 2010.
The 37-year-old had a resounding return to India’s List A domestic tournament as he smashed a century and a fifty against Andhra and Gujarat in Delhi’s opening Vijay Hazare Trophy matches, which were played at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) Ground in Bengaluru. In the opening match against Andhra, Virat Kohli played a match-winning knock of 131 off 101 balls, helping Delhi chase down a 299-run target in 37.3 overs.
In the following match, the veteran Indian batter played a knock of 77 off 61 balls, including 13 fours and a six, at a strike rate of 126.23, guiding Delhi to a respectable total of 254/9 in 50 overs before defeating Gujarat by seven runs, signing off from the tournament on a positive note.
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A Record-Heavy Return in List A ,Cricket
In his Vijay Hazare Trophy return, Virat Kohli has completed 16,000 List A cricket runs, making him the fastest batter to reach this milestone, achieving the feat in just 342 matches. The veteran Indian batter shattered his former Indian teammate and batting legend Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 391 innings to 16,000 runs in the history of List A cricket.
Kohli overtook former Sri Lanka captain and batting legend Sanath Jayasuriya’s tally of 16128 runs to become the eighth leading run-getter in the history of List A cricket. The former India captain is now behind Graham Gooch (22211), Graham Hick (22059), Sachin Tendulkar (21999), Kumar Sangakkara (19456), Viv Richards (16995), Ricky Ponting (16393), and Gordon Greenidge (16349) in the list of all-time highest run-scorers in List A cricket, placing him firmly among the legends.
In the opening match against Andhra, Virat Kohli recorded his 58th List A century, the second-most after Sachin Tendulkar, who leads with 60 centuries, out of which 49 are in ODI cricket. Kohli and Tendulkar are the only batters to have scored 50 or more centuries in the history of List A cricket, making them among the top making them among the greatest and most consistent run-scorers the format has ever seen.
In his List A career, Virat Kohli has a batting average of 57.67, which is the most by any batter with a minimum of 14,000 runs, underlining his exceptional consistency in the format. In List A, Kohli has aggregated 16207 runs, including 58 centuries and 85 fifties, in 344 matches.
Virat Kohli Eyes Tendulkar’s List A Record Before 100 Centuries
Virat Kohli has been touted to break Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record of 100 centuries in international cricket. With 84 centuries to his name and 17 more needed to surpass Tendulkar’s all-time record, Kohli is closing in on the milestone. Before shattering Tendulkar’s 100 international centuries, Kohli is currently on the verge of breaking another record of an Indian batting legend, which would put him ahead of Tendulkar.
With already 58 List A centuries under his belt, Kohli is just three centuries away from surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time List A century tally of 60, the most by any batter in the format. The 37-year-old already overtook Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI centuries, making him the first batter to record 50 hundreds in the history of the format at the international level.
Out of 58 List A centuries, Virat Kohli scored 53 centuries in ODI cricket, while the remaining five have come in domestic List A competitions. Tendulkar, on the other hand, finished his List A career with 60 centuries, including 49 in ODI cricket and 11 in domestic List A matches.
With only three centuries separating him from the top spot, Kohli has a realistic chance of overtaking Sachin Tendulkar’s List A century record before achieving the landmark of 100 international centuries. Virat Kohli will return to action for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, starting on January 11.
With India to play 18 ODI matches in 2026, Kohli has ample opportunities to chase both milestones of Sachin Tendulkar, keeping fans and cricket pundits eagerly watching every innings.
