Virat Kohli added another record to his name in Wellington, going past Ricky Ponting to become the highest run scorer in one-day internationals against New Zealand.
Virat Kohli passed Ricky Ponting to become the highest run scorer in ODIs against New Zealand during the second ODI in Wellington. Kohli was tied with Ponting on 1,971 runs before the match and went past him with a boundary. Kohli was then dismissed for 7, but the brief stay at the crease was enough to take his tally to 1,975 runs against New Zealand. Ponting's mark of 1,971 runs had stood as the benchmark in the fixture for years. Sachin Tendulkar is third on the list with 1,750 runs against New Zealand, which underlines how far ahead Kohli and Ponting sit. The record is one more entry in a long list of ODI milestones for Kohli.
A strong series with the bat
Kohli had scored 74 off 51 balls in the first ODI, so the record came at the end of a strong start to the series with the bat. The second ODI was a low-scoring game, and his early dismissal was part of a difficult Indian chase. India still won the match by four runs on the DLS method after rain ended play with the visitors on 113 for 7. The win gave India a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
The Ponting mark falls
Ponting's record had survived for a long time because scoring heavily against New Zealand over a long career is not easy. Kohli has now done it across many series and conditions, home and away. The boundary that took him past Ponting was a small moment in a short innings, but it settled a record that had been in sight for some time. Kohli needed only a handful of runs at the start of the match to pass the Australian.
One more milestone in a long list
Kohli's ODI career has been built on records of this kind, and this one adds to a collection that already covers most batting marks in the format. Against New Zealand specifically, he now stands alone at the top. India play the third ODI in Hamilton on Tuesday, 10 November, where Kohli will have a chance to extend the new record further.
