NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli and records have long gone hand in hand, and whenever the star India batter walks out to the crease, milestones follow – something that was once again evident during the second ODI against New Zealand in Rajkot on Wednesday.

Fresh from his match-winning 93 in the first ODI, Kohli picked up where he left off, opening his account with a trademark cover drive off the very first ball. In the process, he overtook legendary Sachin Tendulkar to become India’s highest run-scorer against New Zealand in ODIs.

Kohli needed just a single to reach the landmark, achieving the feat in his 35th innings against the Black Caps to surpass Tendulkar’s tally of 1,750 runs at an average of 46.05 from 41 innings.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting is the only batter ahead of them, with 1,971 runs at an average of 45.83 from 50 innings.

Kohli reclaims top spot

Kohli has reclaimed the top spot in the ICC ODI rankings for batters, replacing Rohit Sharma, after scoring a brilliant half-century against New Zealand in the first match of the three-game series in Vadodara.

Kohli’s recent performances in ODIs have been nothing short of phenomenal. He scored an unbeaten 74 against Australia, 135, 102 and 65 not out against the visiting South Africans and 93 against New Zealand in his last five outings.

Kohli had gained the top ranking for the first time in October 2013 and it is his 11th different spell in the top spot. As of today, he has been at the top for a total of 825 days — 10th most by any player, and the most by an Indian batter.