Ricky Ponting on Tuesday stated that he would not rule out Virat Kohli surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the most runs in One Day Internationals (ODIs), following Kohli’s match-winning performance against Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Kohli registered his 51st ODI century as India secured a six-wicket victory over their arch-rivals, sealing a place in the semi-finals.
Kohli, who now has 14,085 runs in ODIs, remains 4,341 runs short of Tendulkar’s all-time tally of 18,426. Speaking on ICC Review, Ponting emphasised that Kohli’s chances of surpassing the record would depend on his desire to continue performing at the highest level.
“It just goes to show how good Sachin was, but also his longevity in the game. But with someone like Virat, you never write him off. If the hunger’s still there, then I’m never going to write him off (to overtake Tendulkar),” Ponting said.
Ponting, who himself amassed 13,704 runs in ODIs, also heaped praise on Kohli for his consistency and impact in the 50-over format. The former Australian captain remarked that Kohli is the finest ODI player he has ever witnessed and noted that Kohli had recently surpassed him in the all-time list of leading ODI run-scorers.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better 50-over player than Virat Kohli,” Ponting told ICC Review. “Now that he’s gone past me (in the run-maker’s list) and only two (batters) are ahead of him, I’m sure he would want to give himself the best chance to be remembered as the all-time leading run-scorer in the game.”
Ponting further lauded Kohli’s physical fitness and dedication to maintaining peak performance levels.
“Obviously physical-wise, he’s probably as fit as he’s ever been and works exceptionally hard on that side of his game. It’s crazy when you think about it, isn’t it? Just how good Virat’s been over such a long period of time, yet he’s still 4,000 runs behind Sachin,” he added.
Kohli will have an opportunity to further add to his tally when India face New Zealand in the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy on March 2. Both India and New Zealand have secured their spots in the last four of the tournament.
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