Probably not before the 2027 World Cup begins, and possibly not until after it. Kohli reached 15,000 in Thiruvananthapuram in 303 innings, against Tendulkar’s 377, but he still sits 3,346 behind the all-time mark of 18,426. His recent scoring rate is superb, and his pace to every milestone beats Tendulkar’s. The problem is arithmetic: India’s confirmed fixtures simply don’t offer enough innings to close that gap in time, so the record’s real timing depends on how long he chooses to keep playing one-day cricket.
The Gap Now Stands at 3,347
Kohli’s unbeaten 139 against West Indies took him to 15,080 from 315 matches and 303 innings. It was his 55th hundred in the format, and he averages close to 58.6. Tendulkar finished with 18,426 from 463 matches. To move past that figure, not simply equal it, Kohli needs 3,347 more. He has beaten Tendulkar’s pace at every milestone so far, but this final stretch is the longest one. It hinges on something he can’t control: how much cricket India actually schedules.
That distinction is easy to miss. Speed to a milestone measures efficiency, while an all-time aggregate rewards longevity and fixture volume, and Tendulkar had both in abundance across 463 matches.
Virat Kohli Overtakes Sachin Tendulkar in ODI Runs
The milestone comparison shows how far ahead of schedule the Indian star has been. He reached 10,000 in 205 innings against Tendulkar’s 259, and the lead has grown at each checkpoint since.
Milestone | Kohli Innings | Tendulkar Innings |
|---|---|---|
10,000 runs | 205 | 259 |
12,000 runs | 242 | 301 |
14,000 runs | 287 | 350 |
15,000 runs | 303 | 377 |
Those numbers flatter him slightly, though. Tendulkar’s most productive years came earlier in his career, and his closing stretch from 15,000 to 18,426 took 75 innings at roughly 46 per innings.
Kohli is 37. Matching that late-career output means sustaining elite form deep into his late thirties, and overtaking it asks even more. Bodies slow down, and the margin for a lean patch shrinks when every series matters.
India’s Calendar Offers Too Few Innings
This is where the projection gets difficult. Beyond the remaining two matches of the current West Indies series, India’s only other confirmed one-day cricket before the World Cup is three matches against Sri Lanka in December 2026 and five against Australia between January and March 2027.
That’s roughly ten more innings on the confirmed calendar. More series will probably be added, but none are locked in yet. Until they are, any projection has to work from what’s actually on the schedule rather than what might appear.
The 2027 World Cup, hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, runs from October 4 to November 21. A run to the final could add up to eleven more innings. Even that best case assumes he bats in every match and India lose nobody to rain or rotation.
His Recent Form Makes It Plausible
Taken on its own, the chase looks realistic. Since September 2025, he has scored 899 in 13 innings at an average of 89.90, with four centuries in that span. His chase average sits above 143 and his home average above 136. At roughly 69 per innings, he’d need about 48 to 49 more innings to pass the record.
That’s comfortably more than the 20 or so innings available before and during the 2027 tournament. Form isn’t the obstacle here. Volume is. Even if he kept averaging close to 90, the maths barely shifts, because there are only so many innings to go around. The ceiling is set by the calendar, not the bat.
The Most Realistic Date for the Record
Doing the maths honestly, his known fixtures don’t reach the record before the World Cup starts. Even a strong tournament would likely leave him short of 18,427 by the final. The record falls in one of two ways. Either India go deep in 2027, and he bats at his recent chase-master level, or he keeps playing bilateral series beyond his 39th birthday.
He has already retired from Tests and T20Is, so a one-format late career built around this chase is entirely believable. The moment fans want, watching Virat Kohli overtake Sachin Tendulkar in ODI runs, is far more likely to arrive in a bilateral series after the World Cup than during it.
Will Kohli keep playing past 39 to finish the job, or will the World Cup be his final stage? Drop your prediction below.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How many runs does Kohli need to pass Tendulkar’s record?
Kohli needs 3,347 more runs to move past Tendulkar’s all-time mark of 18,426. He reached 15,080 from 303 innings after his unbeaten 139 against West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram, his 55th century in the format.
How many ODI runs did Sachin Tendulkar score?
Tendulkar finished his one-day career with 18,426 runs from 463 matches. He averaged 44.83 and scored 49 centuries, a record total that has stood since he retired from the format.
Who is the fastest to 15,000 ODI runs?
Virat Kohli is the fastest to 15,000 one-day runs, reaching it in 303 innings. That is 74 fewer innings than the 377 Tendulkar needed to reach the same milestone.
How many ODI hundreds does Virat Kohli have?
Kohli has 55 one-day centuries, the most by any batter in the format’s history. His latest was an unbeaten 139 against West Indies, and four of them have come since September 2025.
Will Virat Kohli play the 2027 World Cup?
Kohli is expected to play, having announced no plans to retire from one-day cricket. He remains India’s first-choice number three and is central to plans for the tournament in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.