Dubai (UAE), February 24: International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Jay Shah congratulated India’s cricketing legend Virat Kohli for achieving two significant milestones during the ICC Champions Trophy match against Pakistan on Sunday. Kohli not only scored his 51st One Day International (ODI) century but also became the third cricketer in history to reach 14,000 runs in the 50-over format.
Shah took to social media to praise Kohli’s performance, specifically highlighting his classic cover drive, which brought him to the 14,000-run milestone. “Congratulations @imVkohli on passing 14,000 ODI runs during the #ChampionsTrophy match against Pakistan here in Dubai – and what a classic cover drive to reach the milestone,” he wrote on X.
Kohli’s exceptional knock of an unbeaten 100* off 111 balls, which featured seven boundaries, guided India to a comfortable victory over Pakistan. His innings came at a strike rate of 90.09 and played a key role in India chasing down Pakistan’s total of 241 runs with ease. This century marked Kohli’s sixth in ICC ODI events and his first-ever in the ICC Champions Trophy.
With this feat, Kohli joins an exclusive list, becoming only the third batter after Sachin Tendulkar (18,426 runs in 463 ODIs) and Kumar Sangakkara (14,234 runs in 404 matches) to reach the 14,000-run milestone. As of now, Kohli has 14,085 runs in 299 ODIs at an average of 58.20, including 51 centuries and 73 fifties.
In the India-Pakistan Champions Trophy clash, Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat first. Despite an early partnership between Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan’s innings crumbled, and they were restricted to 241 runs. India, chasing 242, faced an early setback with the loss of Rohit Sharma, but Kohli, alongside Shubman Gill (46) and Shreyas Iyer (56), steered India to a four-wicket win with 45 balls to spare.