Root’s ODI numbers since the start of 2024 read better than Kohli’s entire career average, and Edgbaston did nothing to change that picture. Root made 76 not out in a losing cause. Kohli lasted five balls for five runs in a winning one, his first innings back from injury in roughly six months. The career totals still aren’t close, Kohli’s lead runs into the thousands, but the form question right now has a genuinely different answer than it did two years ago.
A 76 Not Out That Reignited an Old Debate
Root’s 76 not out from 76 balls was the highest individual score in England’s first innings, on a pitch offering real bounce and carry early on. That same surface produced the ball that got Kohli, rising sharply off a length after he shuffled across his crease against Jofra Archer. Root read the conditions well all afternoon, compact in defence, selective when he attacked, and was still there when the innings closed with Liam Dawson on 61. Kohli faced four balls from Archer in that same spell and was gone at number three. The contrast could not have been more direct.
Joe Root vs Virat Kohli ODI form comparison 2026
The career numbers still sit a long way apart. Kohli enters this series with roughly 14,797 ODI runs at an average of 58.71, the highest by any batter past 10,000 runs, and 54 centuries, a world record in the format. Root, with around 7,653 runs at 49.64 and 19 hundreds, is England’s all-time ODI run-scorer but operates in a different tier entirely. That career picture has never been close. What has shifted is the form picture, and that is the argument actually worth having right now.
Player | Period | Runs | Average | Centuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Joe Root | Career, 190 ODIs | 7,653 | 49.64 | 20 |
Joe Root | Since Jan 2024 | 1,055+ | 65.93 | 2 |
Virat Kohli | Career, 296 innings | 14,802 | 58.69 | 54 |
Virat Kohli | Since Dec 2025 | 240+ | 40 | 1 |
Root’s Recent Numbers Stack Up Impressively
Ahead of the first ODI, Root was confirmed as England’s leading ODI run-scorer since the start of 2024, with 1,055 runs at an average of 65.93 across that stretch. That figure sits well above his own career mark of 49.64, and comfortably above Kohli’s career average too, which says plenty about the level Root is currently playing at. His most recent ODI century, 111 from 108 balls, came in the series decider against Sri Lanka in Colombo in January, part of a 247-run series return that won him Player of the Series. Before that, his 166 not out against West Indies at Cardiff in June 2025 set a personal ODI best. The 76 not out at Edgbaston fits the same pattern, a player composing a big innings on a pitch that demanded patience.
Kohli’s Comeback Has Been Much Quieter
Kohli’s last ODI century before Edgbaston was 124 from 91 balls against New Zealand at Indore in January, his 54th hundred and a world record. He had also made 100 against South Africa in Raipur the previous December. That’s a strong run of form on paper. But a hamstring injury picked up in the IPL final kept him out of the Afghanistan series in June, so Edgbaston was his first competitive innings in roughly six months, on a ground where India had just suffered a heavy T20I series defeat against the same attack. Five runs alone tells you little on its own. Root’s 76 in that same match, on that same surface, is what makes the gap in current form feel genuinely real rather than a single bad afternoon.
The Rest of This Series Still Matters
Two matches remain, Cardiff on July 16 and Lord’s on July 19. For England, Root’s numbers confirm what two years of results have already suggested, that the 35-year-old is in the most productive white-ball stretch of his career. For India, the question is whether Kohli finds rhythm quickly on pitches that punished him first time out. The career gap between these two has not narrowed and realistically never will. But this Joe Root vs Virat Kohli ODI form comparison 2026 has one clear answer right now: Root is the better ODI batter.
Which of these two would you back to have the bigger say across the rest of this series? Leave your pick in the comments.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is Joe Root’s ODI batting average since 2024?
Root has averaged 65.93 in ODIs since 2024, well clear of his career mark near 49.64. His form average stayed above 65 after the 76 not out at Edgbaston.
How has Virat Kohli performed since returning from injury?
Kohli scored centuries against South Africa and New Zealand before his comeback, then missed the Afghanistan series with a hamstring injury. He returned at Edgbaston and made just 5, out LBW to Archer.
Who has scored more ODI centuries, Root or Kohli?
Kohli leads by a wide margin, with 54 ODI centuries to Root’s 19. Kohli’s tally is the all-time world record, while Root’s 19 are the most by any England batter in the format.
Did Joe Root outscore Virat Kohli in the 1st ODI at Edgbaston?
Yes, Root made 76 not out, the highest score for England, while Kohli was dismissed for 5. India still won by six wickets, with Axar Patel and Washington Sundar rescuing the chase.
Is Joe Root closing the career gap with Virat Kohli in ODIs?
Not in career terms, since Kohli still leads by around 7,150 runs and 35 centuries. But Root’s current form average of 65.93 already exceeds Kohli’s career average, making the form argument genuinely competitive.