Virat Kohli will play his 300th ODI on Sunday in the Champions Trophy. (AP)
Virat Kohli is set to appear in his 300th ODI match during the India vs New Zealand Champions Trophy 2025 league stage clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on Sunday. The 36-year-old Kohli will join an illustrious club of cricket legends to reach the 300-match milestone in ODIs and the first player in six years to cross the landmark.
Kohli’s former IPL teammate and West Indies powerhouse Chris Gayle was the last player to feature in 300 ODIs, achieving the mark in August 2019 against India. Former India captain Mohammed Azharuddin was the first player ever to reach the milestone of 300 ODI matches. Azharuddin played his 300th ODI against Australia in October 1998 and also became the first player to cross 9000 runs in the format.
Since Azharuddin, 20 other cricketers have featured in at least 300 ODI matches with India batting legend Sachin Tendulkar eventually topping the charts with 463 matches to his credit.
Kohli’s world record in 300th ODI
Kohli will be the seventh Indian cricketer to appear in 300 ODIs, joining Azharuddin, Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh in the elite club.
Kohli, however, will make a unique distinction with his 300th ODI match, illustrating his longevity across all formats of the game with the milestone. Kohli will become the first player to appear in 300 ODIs while also having played at least 100 Tests and 100 T20Is.
Kohli made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in 2008 and has since gone onto dominate the 50-over circuit with a whopping 51 centuries. Kohli surpassed Tendulkar’s tally of 49 tons with his 50th century coming up against New Zealand in the 2023 ODI World Cup semi-final in Mumbai. Kohli’s jaw-dropping average in the format stands at 58.20 with 14,083 runs. Only Tendulkar (18,426) and Kumar Sangakkara (14,234) have aggregated more runs in ODIs.
Players to feature in 300 ODIs
| Player | Span | Matches |
| SR Tendulkar | 1989-2012 | 463 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | 1998-2015 | 448 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | 1989-2011 | 445 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | 2000-2015 | 404 |
| Shahid Afridi | 1996-2015 | 398 |
| Inzamam-ul-Haq | 1991-2007 | 378 |
| Ricky Ponting | 1995-2012 | 375 |
| Wasim Akram | 1984-2003 | 356 |
| MS Dhoni | 2004-2019 | 350 |
| M Muralidaran | 1993-2011 | 350 |
| R Dravid | 1996-2011 | 344 |
| M Azharuddin | 1985-2000 | 334 |
| T Dilshan | 1999-2016 | 330 |
| Jacques Kallis | 1996-2014 | 328 |
| Steve Waugh | 1986-2002 | 325 |
| Chaminda Vaas | 1994-2008 | 322 |
| Sourav Ganguly | 1992-2007 | 311 |
| Aravinda de Silva | 1984-2003 | 308 |
| Yuvraj Singh | 2000-2017 | 304 |
| Shaun Pollock | 1996-2008 | 303 |
| Chris Gayle | 1999-2019 | 301 |
| Virat Kohli | 2008-2025 | 299* |
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