The highly anticipated ODI series between India and Australia is set to witness Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma potentially reaching remarkable milestones. Both players are returning to the Indian team after a seven-month absence, last playing an ODI during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final in Dubai.
Virat Kohli's Pursuit of Records
Virat Kohli is on the cusp of achieving several significant feats. He currently has 14,181 ODI runs at an average of 57.88, including 51 centuries. He needs just 54 runs to surpass Kumar Sangakkara (14,234 runs) and become the second-highest run-scorer in ODI history, trailing only Sachin Tendulkar (18,426). In white-ball cricket, combining ODIs and T20Is, Kohli is 67 runs away from overtaking Tendulkar's record of 18,436 runs. Kohli has accumulated 18,369 runs across both formats so far.
Rohit Sharma's Impending Achievements
Rohit Sharma is also on the verge of multiple milestones. The first ODI against Australia could mark his 500th international match for India. He will become the 11th cricketer globally to reach this landmark. Rohit has represented India in 67 Tests, 273 ODIs, and 159 T20Is since his debut in 2007. Only four Indian cricketers have played more international matches than Rohit: Sachin Tendulkar (664), Virat Kohli (550), MS Dhoni (538), and Rahul Dravid (509).
Rohit needs six more sixes to reach 350 ODI sixes. He currently has 344 sixes in 265 innings, second only to Shahid Afridi's 351 sixes in 369 innings. Eight more sixes would make Rohit the all-time leader in ODI sixes.
Against Australia in Australia, Rohit has 990 runs at an average of 58.23 in 19 matches, including four centuries and two fifties. He needs just 10 more runs to become the first Indian to score 1,000 runs against Australia in Australia.
Rohit is also approaching his 50th international century, currently standing at 49 hundreds across formats. One more century would make him the ninth player and third Indian to achieve this feat. In terms of centuries against Australia in ODIs, both Rohit and Kohli currently have eight centuries each. One more hundred would put either of them level with Sachin Tendulkar's record of nine ODI centuries against Australia. Rohit is also 300 runs short of reaching 20,000 international runs across formats. Only Tendulkar (34,357), Kohli (27,599), and Dravid (24,208) have accomplished this feat for India.
These potential achievements add extra significance to the upcoming ODI series against Australia, as both senior Indian cricketers look to further cement their legacy in international cricket. Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have solid records as visiting batters in Australia. Rohit has the best average for an away batter in Australia at 53.1, with Virat Kohli not far behind at 51.0.
