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Against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy, Virat Kohli broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record to become the fastest batter to score 14000 ODI runs.
‘Never Going To Write Him Off’: Ponting Backs Kohli To Break Tendulkar’s Record (Picture credit: AP)
Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting has said that it is surprising that even after being consistent over such a long period, Virat Kohli is still 4000 runs behind Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI run tally, showing the incredible longevity that the latter had.
Against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy, Kohli broke Tendulkar’s record to become the fastest batter to score 14000 ODI runs, becoming the third cricketer to reach the milestone as well.
Ponting said that Kohli will aim to build a legacy for himself and be remembered as the all-time leading run-scorer.
“It’s crazy when you think about it, isn’t it? Just how good Virat’s been over such a long period, yet he’s still 4000 runs behind Sachin. It just goes to show how good Sachin was, but also his longevity in the game, how long Sachin played for and how long you’re able to maintain such high levels for as an individual player,” Ponting said while speaking on ICC review.
“That’s the one thing I’ve always judged excellence on, is how long you can maintain it for. And Sachin, with 200 Tests and God knows how many ODIs, must have been over 500 ODIs, I’d imagine,” Ponting said.
“But with someone like Virat, you never write him off because I’m sure he’d be motivated by that, now that he’s gone past me. I’m sure he would. He wants to give himself the best chance to be remembered as the all-time leading run scorer in the game,” Ponting added.
Kohli is in good touch after scoring his 51st ODI century in the marquee clash of the Champions Trophy against Mohammad Rizwan’s Pakistan in Dubai.
Kohli is just 149 runs short of going past Kumar Sangakkara’s tally of 14234 runs in ODIs, and it might take two more games for him to surpass that.
Kohli will look to carry his momentum when India face New Zealand in their last Group A game on Sunday, March 2, in Dubai. His last ODI outing against the Kiwis saw him go past Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI hundreds in the 2023 World Cup semifinal.
For more in-depth coverage of the Champions Trophy, check out the latest Points Table to see where your favorite team stands. Stay updated on the tournament’s top performers with the Most Runs and Most Wickets leaderboards. Keep following for all the latest updates!
