Virat Kohli joins elite ODI club with 300 innings

Indian batting star Virat Kohli added another remarkable milestone to his glittering international career by completing 300 ODI innings during the opening One-Day International against England.

With the achievement, Kohli became only the fifth Indian cricketer to reach the landmark. He joined an elite group featuring cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Azharuddin, and Sourav Ganguly.

The match also marked Kohli’s 312th ODI appearance. Over his career, he has accumulated 14,797 runs, maintaining an outstanding average of 58.71 and a strike rate of 93.82, reinforcing his reputation as one of the greatest ODI batters in cricket history.

At the top of the all-time list, Sachin Tendulkar remains the most experienced ODI batter with 452 innings, followed by Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya with 433 and Mahela Jayawardene with 418.

Meanwhile, England recovered from a dramatic collapse to post a competitive 258 runs after electing to bat first in the series opener.

The hosts made a confident start, reaching 61 without loss, but India’s pace attack triggered a batting collapse that left England struggling at 107 for six.

Experienced batter Joe Root then steadied the innings with a composed 76 runs, while Liam Dawson produced the best ODI score of his career, making 68 off 83 deliveries.

The pair shared a vital 121-run partnership for the seventh wicket, helping England recover from a difficult position and set India a challenging target.

India’s bowling attack kept the pressure on throughout the innings. Jasprit Bumrah delivered another disciplined spell, conceding just 31 runs in nine overs while consistently troubling the English batters with his pace and accuracy.

Young pacer Gurnoor Brar claimed two wickets, while Prasidh Krishna also picked up two despite proving expensive at times.

Spinner Axar Patel cleaned up the lower order with his best-ever ODI bowling figures, ensuring England could not build an even bigger total despite the impressive recovery led by Root and Dawson.