Virat Kohli Creates History: First Batter to Score 13,000 ODI Runs at No. 3
By NajamSports Team | November 4, 2026
Virat Kohli has done it again. The Indian great became the first batter in the history of ODI cricket to score 13,000 runs batting at No. 3, reaching the landmark during India's chase against New Zealand in the first ODI at Eden Park, Auckland, on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
Kohli walked in needing just 12 runs to get there, and he did not keep anyone waiting. He scored his 12th run on the 13th ball of his innings, in the seventh over of India's chase of 186, and with that single, a record that had stood as a theoretical ceiling for every No. 3 in history finally had a name attached to it: his.
What Happened?
New Zealand had been bowled out for 185 in 40.2 overs after India won the toss and chose to field. Arshdeep Singh led the attack with 4 for 70, Gurnoor Brar took 3 for 44, and Anshul Kamboj picked up 2 for 22. Tim Seifert top-scored for the hosts with 38, while Glenn Phillips made 30 and Blair Tickner smashed a late 34.
Chasing a modest 186, India lost an early wicket, and then Kohli walked out at his familiar No. 3 spot. Twelve runs later, history was made. Ricky Ponting, the previous benchmark at the position, finished his career with 12,662 ODI runs at No. 3. Kohli went past that number long ago in spirit; now he has gone past a round number no one had ever reached.
Going into this match, Kohli had 12,988 ODI runs at No. 3 at an average of 61.55, with 48 centuries and 69 fifties at that position. Those are not just great numbers. They are the numbers of a man who turned one batting position into his own address for more than a decade.
Why This Record Is Different
Most batting records reward longevity. This one rewards something rarer: staying world-class in one specific role while everything around you changes. Kohli has batted at No. 3 through different captains, different coaches, different teams, and different eras of ODI cricket, and his average at the position never really left the sixties.
Think about what No. 3 actually demands. You can walk in during the second over against a swinging new ball, or in the 35th over with a platform to explode from. You have to be a grafter and a finisher in the same innings. Ponting did it brilliantly for Australia. Kohli has now done it longer, and better, than anyone who has ever tried.
There is another layer here that I find hard to ignore. Kohli is 37, in the middle of a five-match ODI series, and still collecting first-evers. Players his age are usually managing farewell tours. He is managing milestones. That tells you everything about why India still build their ODI batting around him.
Our Analysis: What This Means for India
In my view, this record settles an argument that has quietly followed Kohli for two years: whether he is still an automatic pick, or a great player running on reputation. You do not reach 13,000 runs at one position on reputation. You reach it because, ball after ball, you keep making the right decisions.
For this series, the timing matters. India came to New Zealand after winning the T20I series 3-2, but with real questions about their bowling depth in Jasprit Bumrah's absence. The bowlers answered those questions first, dismissing New Zealand for 185. Kohli's record then gave the chase its story. If India go on to win this series, this innings will be remembered as the day the tour found its heartbeat.
One caution, though. Records like this can fool us into thinking the job is done. Kohli's real test in this series is not a number, it is whether he can turn these starts into match-winning hundreds on New Zealand pitches, where the ball moves early and the grounds are small enough to punish loose bowling. The record is the headline. The series is the exam.
What Happens Next?
The five-match ODI series continues after this Eden Park opener, and Kohli now has another set of milestones in front of him, including the most List A centuries and the most runs in ODI chases, where he trails Sachin Tendulkar. But those can wait. Today belongs to one number: 13,000 runs at No. 3, a first in ODI history.
For context on how this series was set up, read our New Zealand vs India 1st ODI preview, and for the home side's build-up, our New Zealand ODI squad announcement. If you missed how the T20I leg of this tour ended, our report on Seifert's 93 in the 5th T20I at Hamilton is worth a read.
Conclusion
Virat Kohli is now the first batter ever to score 13,000 ODI runs at No. 3, reaching the mark in the first ODI against New Zealand at Eden Park on November 4, 2026. Ponting's 12,662 was the old standard. Kohli has set a new one, and given how he is still batting, it may stand for a very long time.
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Sources
- News18 report on Kohli's 13,000-run landmark at No. 3
- Cricbuzz live scorecard, New Zealand vs India 1st ODI, Eden Park
- Pre-match background on Kohli's No. 3 record, Free Press Journal / Tribune, November 2, 2026