Virat Kohli Joins Sachin Tendulkar as Only Indian With 16,000 List A Runs

Virat Kohli marked his return to domestic cricket with a landmark achievement, becoming only the second Indian batter after Sachin Tendulkar to complete 16,000 runs in List A cricket.

Kohli reached the milestone during Delhi’s Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Andhra at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. He crossed the landmark with the very first run of Delhi’s chase of 299.

The milestone took Kohli’s List A tally to 16,000 runs in 343 matches, making him the ninth batter overall to achieve the feat. The elite list includes legends such as Graham Gooch, Graeme Hick, Kumar Sangakkara, Sir Vivian Richards, Ricky Ponting, Gordon Greenidge and Sanath Jayasuriya. Among all players to reach 16,000 List A runs, Kohli boasts the highest average—57.34.

Kohli made his List A debut for Delhi in February 2006 in the Ranji Trophy One-Day tournament at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Nearly two decades later, the 50-over format remains his most prolific arena.

The former India captain, who has retired from Tests and T20 internationals, confirmed his availability for domestic cricket this season following a prolific home ODI series against South Africa. In that series, Kohli struck scores of 135, 102 and an unbeaten 65, earning the Player of the Series award.

Despite limited domestic appearances due to international commitments, Kohli’s List A and ODI numbers remain imposing. He is currently the second-highest run-scorer in ODI history, behind only Tendulkar. In 308 ODIs, Kohli has amassed 14,557 runs at an average of 58.46, holds the record for the most ODI centuries (53), and is the fastest batter to reach 14,000 ODI runs.

In domestic 50-over cricket, Kohli has played 16 matches for Delhi, scoring 910 runs at an average of 60.66, with four centuries and four half-centuries. His previous Vijay Hazare Trophy appearance came in the 2010–11 season, when he captained the side.

While Kohli has surpassed Tendulkar in ODI centuries, the Mumbai great still leads the overall List A centuries chart with 60 hundreds from 21,999 runs, with Kohli close behind on 57.