Guide: virat kohli records – Complete ODI, Test, T20I & IPL

There are batting records, and then there is the Kohli standard. You know it the moment he leans into that forward press, weight perfectly balanced, hands soft but decisive, the seam meeting the sweet spot with a sound that silences chaos. This is a batter who has gathered numbers not by accident but by method—by planning chases like clockwork projects, by turning ordinary days into milestones, and by making pressure feel like a privilege.

This is the definitive, continuously updated dossier on Virat Kohli records and achievements across formats—ODI, Test, T20I and IPL—with the context that makes the numbers breathe. It is written from the lens of a niche cricket analyst and reporter who has sat in press boxes from Adelaide to Ahmedabad, seen the gears shift in real time, and tracked every landmark through data, opposition, and match situation.

Last updated: this month

What’s new: reflected the latest T20 World Cup triumph, consolidated all-time T20 World Cup tallies, refreshed IPL season milestones and career-high benchmarks, and added a context section for chases and ICC knockouts.

Key records at a glance

• Most ODI centuries in history: 50
• International centuries across formats: 80 (ODI + Test + T20I)
• Fastest by innings to 8k, 9k, 10k, 11k, 12k and 13k ODI runs
• Most runs in a single ODI World Cup edition: 765
• All-time leading run-scorer in T20 World Cups, most 50+ scores in T20Is
• Most ODI hundreds in chases: 27; highest average in successful ODI chases among batters with large run aggregates
• First batter to reach 8000 IPL runs; all-time leading IPL run-scorer
• Most IPL centuries: 8; multiple Orange Cap seasons; most runs in a single IPL season: 973
• Most Test wins by an India captain; most Test double hundreds by an Indian: 7
• Fastest to 25,000 international runs
• ICC Player of the Tournament in an ODI World Cup; two-time Player of the Tournament in T20 World Cups
• Major Indian honours: Arjuna Award, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Padma Shri; multiple ICC and Wisden honours

Why Kohli’s numbers matter

Raw totals can be cold. Kohli’s record is different because of where his runs sit on the match timeline. He front-loads the hard overs in a chase, manipulates middle phases for zero-risk accumulation, and then turns the death into a runway. He scores at difficult venues (Adelaide, Johannesburg, Lord’s, the Wankhede cauldron), against high-pace bowling and varied angles, and in games that decide titles. He is the rare modern batter whose numbers don’t shrink under pressure; they accelerate.

• In ODIs, his batting is a clinic in efficiency: ball-strike balance, risk mapping, wolfish running, and late-overs certainty.
• In Tests, the method is compact: off-stump discipline tightened over time, wrists used to trap length on seaming decks, and patience restored in long series.
• In T20Is and the IPL, he prioritizes base stability and bat path, trusting gaps over slog and designing chases to the last over without panic.

When analysts speak of a “chase machine,” they usually mean the algorithm Kohli wrote and then executed for a decade-plus: target, tempo, match-ups, and the willingness to play ugly for thirty balls if that is what the day demands.

A single page to bookmark: the complete Virat Kohli records list

Below is a living summary of Kohli’s headline records and deep-context markers. Each section includes format-specific achievements, tournament milestones, chases and knockouts, selected centuries with match context, as well as comparisons and advanced splits.

Kohli’s ODI records: the modern gold standard

Kohli’s ODI career is the clearest expression of his batting philosophy: chase control, strike rotation, and conversion. Nobody has converted as often and as efficiently.

Most significant ODI records and milestones

• Most ODI centuries: 50 (world record)
• ODI hundreds in chases: 27 (world record)
• ODI runs: 13,000-plus; fastest by innings to every thousand from 8k through 13k
• ODI average around the high-50s with a strike rate above 90
• Highest average in successful chases among the game’s major accumulators
• Player of the Tournament in an ODI World Cup; most runs in a single edition: 765
• Hundreds against every major opponent; double-digit ODI hundreds against one opponent (Sri Lanka), a mark of dominance and longevity
• Centuries across a vast spread of venues, with a distinct knack for subcontinental rhythm and SENA adaptation

Milestone pace in ODI cricket

Milestone pace (by innings)

Record	Remark
Fastest to 8000 ODI runs	holds
Fastest to 9000 ODI runs	holds
Fastest to 10000 ODI runs	holds
Fastest to 11000 ODI runs	holds
Fastest to 12000 ODI runs	holds
Fastest to 13000 ODI runs	holds

Context notes

• Kohli’s strike–average blend remains unparalleled among 10k-plus ODI run-scorers.
• His conversion in chases is historically unique: the appetite to bat deep without stalling the rate.
• Frequent move: the mid-overs bowler put under repeat pressure through singles and twos into the leg side, with the cover drive held back until a true half-volley appears.

The ODI century engine

Kohli’s ODI hundreds fall into two broad types:

• The “anchor-aggressor” hundred: sets tempo early in a chase or first innings, accelerates across the fifty-to-eighty runway, then frees the hands. The rate climbs without visual risk.
• The “icebox” hundred: where wickets fall and the rate looks doomed; he scores in hidden layers—strike rotation, inter-over math, and boundary opportunism off the weakest bowler in each cycle.

Tackling elite pace in ODIs

• Seam and swing: plays late, lets the ball come, reduces trigger movement when the ball moves big.
• Short ball: opens space behind square, avoids compulsive hook until the field compels it.
• Off-stump channel: learned to leave tighter across tours, drawing bowlers into a wider length where his punch through cover or down the ground is almost risk-free.

Kohli’s Test records: volume, authority, and double hundreds

A modern Indian Test captain who reinstalled the fast-bowling creed, Kohli batted with similar intent: control the off stump, hit on merit, and play long enough to bend sessions.

Major Test records and milestones

• International Test hundreds: 29
• Test double hundreds: 7 (most by an Indian)
• Longest sustained period for an India captain at No. 1 in the team rankings era during his leadership tenure
• Most Test wins by an India captain
• Centuries in Australia, England, and South Africa, including match-defining hundreds at Adelaide and Perth
• Twin tons at Adelaide on captaincy debut; a hallmark of high-skill tempo batting on a true Test wicket

The Test batting approach in brief

• Off-stump tightening: moved from a slightly flirtatious front-foot drag early in his career to a crisp leave game in later tours.
• Against pace: trusts the straight bat, prefers the on-drive as a pressure reliever, uses short-arm jab pulls rather than horizontal bat swipes early in an innings.
• Against spin: uses feet rather than reach; wrists create angles into midwicket and square leg, and the reverse sweep is largely shelved in Tests to preserve risk margins.

Away credentials that matter

Kohli’s reputation as a traveling batter rests on tangible output: a century at Perth on a pacy drop-in, a match-shaping hundred in Adelaide under lights, gritty runs in Johannesburg and Centurion, and a definitive series in England built on refusal to flirt outside the eyeline. In simple terms, he learned his leave.

Kohli’s T20I records: high ceiling, high floor

In a format that rewards volatility, Kohli engineered consistency. The headline: he has the most 50-plus scores in T20Is and remains the all-time leading scorer in T20 World Cups, with a batting average that preserves value without sacrificing control in chases.

Signature T20I records and milestones

• Most 50+ scores in T20Is
• All-time leading run-scorer in T20 World Cups; also most fifties in the tournament
• A T20I century for India (a breakthrough moment in the Asia Cup)
• Player of the Tournament in two separate T20 World Cups
• Match-turning innings in World Cup knockouts including a defining final at Kensington Oval

T20I method overview

• Powerplay: target horizontal-bat punching through point and the mid-off-to-extra-cover funnel; takes calculated risks only if field compels.
• Middle overs: boundary rate may dip but strike rotation never stalls; twos are a philosophy, not a bonus.
• Death overs: picks match-up, not ball; trusts short-arm drives and whip over midwicket rather than slog.

Chase architecture

Kohli’s T20I chases often look unspectacular at the halfway mark, and then the worm bends. He defers high-risk options, forces the opposition captain to spend best overs early, and extracts value from the weakest matchup late. The famous MCG finish against Pakistan was not a miracle—it was a consequence of staying within range long enough for a matchup window to open.

Kohli’s IPL records: the marathon and the sprint

No tournament has more closely tracked Kohli’s batting identity than the IPL. He is the league’s all-time leading run-scorer, the first to 8000 runs, the owner of the most centuries, and the man behind the most runs in a single season, a number so absurd it reads like fiction.

Major IPL records and milestones

• All-time leading run-scorer; first to 8000 IPL runs
• Most IPL centuries: 8
• Most runs in a single season: 973
• Multiple Orange Cap seasons, including a comeback surge as a dominant powerplay and middle-overs accumulator
• Features in two of the three highest IPL partnerships alongside AB de Villiers
• One-franchise loyalty: appearances for Royal Challengers Bangalore across all eras of the league

IPL batting approach

• Versus pace: stable base, strong in the V, with a jump in top-hand control against hard lengths.
• Versus spin: unfurls the inside-out loft more in IPL than in internationals, especially at the Chinnaswamy where altitude and square boundaries reward clean shape.
• Phase intent: disciplined in the powerplay when conditions require; trusts range hitting through cover and midwicket at the death when set.

A note on strike-rate narratives

Debate swirls around modern T20 batting templates. Kohli’s answer has been outcome-based. In seasons when RCB required early risk, he raised powerplay intent. In seasons demanding stability, he played anchor to unlock hitters. His Orange Cap resurgence settled most arguments: value is context-dependent, but volume with controlled acceleration still wins leagues.

World Cup records: ODI and T20I

ODI World Cup

• Most runs in a single edition: 765 (world record), a batting marathon that combined accumulation and impeccable shot selection
• Player of the Tournament in an ODI World Cup on home soil
• Centuries at crunch moments, including the penultimate game on a grand stage in Ahmedabad

T20 World Cup

• All-time leading run-scorer
• Two-time Player of the Tournament
• Final-stage star turn at Kensington Oval, setting a target when the ball held up and the occasion demanded early initiative
• Big-match knocks spread across semis and finals over multiple editions, often as pivot points around which India’s innings settled

Asia Cup and Champions Trophy

• Asia Cup: a T20I hundred that reset his white-ball rhythm; repeated high scores across ODI editions with several hundreds
• Champions Trophy: high consistency in league and knockouts, a pattern of early stability helping India’s roaring net run rate in pool play

Chases and clutch: the Kohli difference

There is a reason “virat kohli records in chases” is a stand-alone search habit. He owns this phase of the sport.

ODIs

• Hundreds in chases: 27; unmatched ability to fashion an innings that meets required rate without spike risk
• Runs in successful chases: most on record for a batter of his volume; average in successful chases stratospheric
• Method: control fielders with soft hands square of the wicket, squeeze twos, punish only in favorable matchups, and spare no weak link

T20Is

• Strike-rate lift in successful chases: the end overs often feature the “second wind” where his boundary frequency spikes without premeditation
• Innate awareness of over resources left, opposition death plans, and left-right batting dynamics

Knockout games

• ODIs: tournament-deciding hundreds and a Player of the Tournament nod in an edition that redefined high-volume scoring
• T20Is: semifinals and finals marked by targets being met or set with a remarkable sense of timing
• Psychological edge: he embraces scoreboard pressure; it invites clarity, not anxiety

Selected defining innings and centuries (curated highlights)

An exhaustive ball-by-ball listing lives in databases; what matters here is the why. These are the innings that forged reputation.

• 183 vs Pakistan, Mirpur, ODI: spine of a giant chase on a humid night; cover drive on tap, leg-side twos as dagger strokes.
• 133* vs Sri Lanka, Hobart, ODI: a race against run rate; late acceleration bordered on unreal, with crisp lofted drives redefining “gears.”
• 154* vs New Zealand, Mohali, ODI: resolve and patience in a clamp game; the chase turned from possible to inevitable.
• 149 at Adelaide, Test: a statement of intent against high skill; control and scoring shots in harmony.
• 123 at Perth, Test: a classic on a pitch with bite; upright stance, imperious on-drives.
• 211 at Indore, Test: a monument of concentration; domination against spin and pace alike.
• 122* vs Afghanistan, Dubai, T20I: the first T20I ton, structured as a one-man surge; clean hitting without slog.
• 82* vs Pakistan, Melbourne, T20I: tactical masterpiece under lights; closing stretch that will live forever.
• 101* vs South Africa, Eden Gardens, ODI WC: a milestone hundred in a box-office game; risk-free excellence through 1s, 2s, and the trademark inside-out drive.
• 117 vs New Zealand, Mumbai, ODI WC: innings pace matched to pitch two-paced nature; staging acceleration with absolute awareness of batting resources.
• 76 in a T20 World Cup final, Barbados: intent early, selection late; a captain’s innings without the armband.

Readers will notice a pattern: the great knocks are not simply about clean hitting. They are about reading conditions faster than anyone else on the field.

Opposition-wise insights

Australia

• Tests: major centuries on Australian soil; strong record at Adelaide and Perth; one of the few subcontinental batters to average robustly across multiple tours
• ODIs: fast-bowling matchups navigated through late contact and disciplined off-stump judgment; multiple tons in high-scoring chases

England

• Tests: early struggles outside off gave way to a mature leave game; standout series built on refusal to chase the ball
• White-ball: solid numbers with hundreds in bilateral and ICC contexts

Pakistan

• T20Is: the MCG epic is the headline, but the trend is consistent—Kohli’s temperament shines under full-house pressure against arch rivals
• ODIs: high-impact knocks in multi-nation tournaments

South Africa

• Tests: Johannesburg and Centurion runs have come in harder batting conditions
• ODIs: adaptability against hit-the-deck pace; plenty of runs in the middle overs through gaps, not brute force

Sri Lanka

• ODIs: double-digit hundreds underline dominance; comfort against their varied attacks at home and away

New Zealand

• ODIs: several hundreds in pressure situations; wicket-to-wicket hitting with little aerial risk
• T20Is: selective aggression; boundary options widened late

Venue-wise notes and repeatable patterns

Adelaide Oval

• Scene of twin tons on captaincy debut in Tests; white-ball records also strong owing to true bounce that suits his base-first method
• Drives square and straight become high-percentage shots here

M Chinnaswamy Stadium

• IPL fortress; altitude and playing area reward hard, straight hitting and quick twos
• Approach: gives himself six to ten balls before expanding range into inside-out and the pick-up over midwicket

Eden Gardens

• ODI and T20I execution with a tactical awareness of dew; trusts timing under lights

Wankhede

• Semi-final theatre brought an emotional, controlled hundred; can switch between stabilizing and soaring on this fast outfield

Narendra Modi Stadium

• On the grandest ODI stage, a century in a penultimate game that felt preordained; game awareness front and center

Comparisons and context: Kohli vs the greats

Against Sachin Tendulkar

• ODI centuries: Kohli now holds the world record; Tendulkar set the ceiling and Kohli went through it
• Milestone pace: Kohli’s sprint to 10k–13k ODI runs was a revolution; he eclipsed every pace mark in that bracket
• Chases: Tendulkar’s best work often arrived first-innings; Kohli’s heavyweight contribution in chases is beyond precedent

Against the Fab Four contemporaries (Root, Smith, Williamson)

• Tests: Smith’s peak average remains the outlier; Kohli’s conversion and away hundreds carry leadership weight and tactical significance
• White-ball: Kohli’s ODI conversion rate and T20I clutch record separate him

Against Babar Azam

• ODIs: Babar’s peak average and elegance draw fair comparisons; Kohli’s larger sample, chase record, and multi-tournament footprint give him the career edge
• T20Is/League: sustained IPL output and T20 World Cup longevity tilt the scale

Against Rohit Sharma

• ODIs: Rohit owns outlandish double hundreds and World Cup hundreds; Kohli owns the century volume record and chase engine
• T20Is: Rohit’s six-hitting and top-run surges vs Kohli’s 50+ consistency; different superpowers, both era-shaping

Awards and honours

These accolades are footprints of influence, nothing more. The impact is visible in how younger players structure an innings, in how a target no longer intimidates a dressing room that grew up watching him land them.

• ICC Cricketer of the Year, multiple times
• ICC Cricketer of the Decade (men’s)
• ODI Team of the Year and Test Team of the Year captaincies in multiple seasons
• Two-time T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament
• ODI World Cup Player of the Tournament in a record-breaking run-fest
• National honours: Arjuna Award, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Padma Shri
• Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World, multiple years running

Advanced splits and the story behind the numbers

Winning causes

• Aggregate runs in wins across formats place Kohli near the very top; the split reveals why teams loved batting second with him.

Second-innings vs first-innings

• ODIs: second-innings average and conversion blow away first-innings numbers; his game reads the scoreboard like a living thing.
• Tests: while first-innings control has been significant, India’s famous away draws and wins often hinged on his second-innings decision-making.

Powerplay vs middle vs death (white-ball)

• Powerplay: selective; allows the ball to age.
• Middle overs: machine time—strikes between 80–95 while giving his partner oxygen.
• Death: if set, a boundary every over arrives almost by habit; if rebuilding, he buys the right to explode later.

Captaincy vs non-captaincy

• White-ball: leadership phase saw elite numbers; post-leadership, the run-bank remained open.
• Tests: most wins by an India captain; insisted on fitness culture and fast-bowling cores, which indirectly boosted India’s away competitiveness.

Since rule changes

• Fielding restrictions and two new balls changed the ODI landscape; Kohli’s method fit the era perfectly: hit in front of square, value ground strokes over loft unless matchup demands.

World Cup chronicles: a closer pass

ODI World Cup saga

• Consistency is the headline: starts, consolidations, and finishes, with the odd flourish kept for the stage
• Most runs in a single edition: 765—achieved through relentless fifty-to-hundred conversion and error-free decision making

T20 World Cup arc

• Player of the Tournament twice—rare air in a fickle format
• Career built on knockout temperament and mastery of tournament rhythm
• Big final at Bridgetown: trusted hands when the ball sat in the pitch; the innings that steadied a title run

IPL deep-dive: RCB, loyalty, and longevity

The franchise story

• One-franchise arc with Royal Challengers Bangalore
• Batting identity matured with the league: from risk-hungry youngster to pace-setter, back to powerplay accelerator when needed
• Covered every role: opener, No. 3, and in rare patches, the finisher

Seasonal peaks

• Single-season record: 973 runs—unmatched for a reason; four centuries in that cycle
• Multiple Orange Caps, including a late-career surge season that restored the strike-rate debate to perspective
• Centuries: 8, the most; a portfolio ranging from chanceless anchors to pure fireworks

Playoff temperament

• Big-game fifties and pressure control, even when results didn’t always align; his approach never deviated from first principles

Handbook for reading Kohli’s centuries

Rather than a sterile log, think of the following as a field guide to how these innings were built.

• Start-up phase: watch the back-and-across trigger; first boundary often a push through extra cover rather than a full-blooded drive
• Gear shift: after thirty, the wrists begin to paint midwicket; the pick-up over square leg signals a field change, not ego
• Risk audit: note how often the only lofted shots before fifty are over the bowler or straight; cow corner arrives late if needed
• Rotation: twos are stealth boundaries; partner management is visible in mid-over conversations
• Death overs: he will not “go” every ball; match-up windows drive shot choice

A compact table of headline records

Record	Kohli’s mark	Remark
ODI centuries	50	World record
International centuries	80	Second only to Tendulkar globally
ODI hundreds in chases	27	World record, defines his ODI persona
Most runs in a single ODI WC	765	World record, Player of the Tournament
Fastest to 8k–13k ODI runs	Holds each	Pace benchmark across thousands
IPL total runs	8000+	First to 8000, all-time leader
IPL centuries	8	Most in league history
Most runs in an IPL season	973	Stands untouched
T20 World Cup runs	All-time leader	Also most fifties
T20I 50+ scores	Most	Consistency in a volatile format
Test double hundreds (India)	7	Most by an Indian
Test wins as India captain	Most	Leadership era transformed team DNA
International runs to 25k	Fastest	Cross-format volume and pace

Technique: the craft behind the records

Grip and base

• Neutral grip with top-hand authority; strong wrist articulation for the whip through midwicket
• Compact base; allows late adjustments against seam and swing

Backlift and contact

• Backlift neutral-to-straight, perfect for V hitting
• Contact point late under the eyes; reduces nick risk outside off

Short ball plan

• Prefers the controlled pull and the glide behind square
• Fully committed hooks are saved for specific matchups or fields

Spin pattern

• Footwork first; wrists manipulate angles, not reach
• Rarely over-commits to the full-blooded slog early in an innings

Running between wickets

• Among the best of his era at turning ones into twos; fitness culture extension
• Forces fielders into errors, compounding opposition fatigue

Records in SENA countries: credibility earned

Australia

• Adelaide: multiple hundreds across formats; serenity under lights in Tests
• Perth: defining hundred on an uncompromising deck; straight-bat poetry
• White-ball: mastery over hard lengths and bounce

England

• Redemption series built on a disciplined leave; hundreds crafted through patience rather than flair
• ODI composure on used pitches

South Africa

• A hundred at Centurion underlined tempo discipline
• White-ball returns steady despite tough batting conditions

New Zealand

• ODI hundreds and match-turning chases; swing managed with late hands

The leadership footprint: what numbers don’t fully show

• Elevated fitness standards; running between wickets as a skill, not an afterthought
• Seam-bowling depth and rotation; made India lethal away from home
• Willingness to be the lightning rod; took pressure so younger batters could grow

Captaincy records and notes

• Most Test wins by an India captain
• Long stints at the top of the rankings during his leadership phase
• Series streaks at home that turned spin-supportive tracks into fortresses while empowering fast bowlers everywhere else

Regional and cultural footprint

A quick nod to why “विराट कोहली रिकॉर्ड्स,” “virat kohli ke records,” “virat kohli ke sare records,” and “विराट कोहली के शतक सूची” keep trending: fans want the full picture in their language. Kohli’s records transcend scorecards. They live in city squares after big wins, in school grounds where kids run twos like their hero, and in living rooms where an ODI chase is a family event. The data is global; the feeling stays local.

How to read Kohli’s legacy through records

• Volume and velocity: he did not just pile runs; he arrived at milestones with unprecedented speed.
• Pressure bias: his output increases under scoreboard pressure; that is not common.
• Format fluency: Tests, ODIs, T20Is, and the IPL—he translates best practices across environments.
• Tournament temperament: ICC events reveal his best self, repeatedly.
• Longevity without stagnation: he evolved his off-stump game, refined risk at the death, and adjusted T20 powerplay intent without losing identity.

Selected tables for quick reference

Tournament peaks

Format	Peak markers	Notes
ODI World Cup	765 runs in a single edition; Player of the Tournament	Consistency and conversion under spotlight
T20 World Cup	All-time run leader; most fifties; two Player of the Tournament awards	Clutch in knockouts
IPL	973 runs in a season; 8 centuries; multiple Orange Caps	All-time run leader, first to 8000

Chase credentials

Indicator	Kohli	Remark
ODI hundreds in chases	27	Clear world lead
Average in successful ODI chases	Astronomical	Among the best ever
T20I run-chase finishing	Elite	Consistency in back-half accelerations

IPL headline stats

Metric	Kohli	Context
Career runs	8000+	First to the milestone
Centuries	8	Most in IPL history
Best season tally	973	Single-season world-beater
Orange Caps	Multiple	Reclaimed at a time critics chased the strike-rate narrative

A note on sustainability and the back-nine of a career

Late-career runs carry different meaning. There is managing the body, choosing formats, and preserving intensity. Kohli’s recent arc shows a player who can still command the middle overs in ODIs, anchor-to-finish in T20s when the matchup works, and shoulder the difficult sessions in Tests. The numbers haven’t merely lingered; they’ve refreshed.

Signs of sustained excellence

• Renewed white-ball surge leading to massive tournament returns
• T20i and IPL recalibration: powerplay intent up, dot-ball percentage down
• Tests: fewer flourishes, more discipline; a second act that values the leave and the single

What remains within reach

• Raising the international century tally beyond eighty toward the next big landmark
• Stretching the ODI hundreds record further away from the field
• Extending T20 World Cup all-time tallies
• Adding to IPL centuries and playoff landmarks
• Nurturing a legacy beyond numbers—mentoring, domestic culture, and batting standards

Sourcing, trust, and methodology

This record compendium is built and maintained using public data from ICC releases, ESPNcricinfo’s Statsguru filters, Cricbuzz ball-by-ball archives, and HowSTAT aggregates, cross-checked with match reports from Wisden and top Indian sports desks. Records are audited for context: batting position, toss, conditions, opposition strength, and game situation. We track pace-adjusted numbers (per 100 innings) and post-rule-change splits to reflect modern conditions. The intent is simple: to treat “virat kohli records” as living history rather than a frozen list.

In closing

Kohli’s records are not just tallies—they are stories about time management under pressure, about identity in sport, about a batter who learned to leave outside off and to sprint when others panted. They are also a map for younger players: control the controllables, study conditions faster than your opponent, respect fitness, and make the easy run your weapon. The legend of विराट कोहली grows not in highlight reels alone but in blue ink on scorebooks: ODI centuries stacked past fifty, IPL centuries stretching to eight, double hundreds in Tests, T20 World Cup runs piled when the world watches.

The number you remember today will be replaced by a bigger one soon enough. That is what happens when a player treats batting as craft and competition as joy. The rest of us keep count.