When Virat Kohli got back the No. 1 spot in ODIs after a long time, the ICC released a statement that he had been No. 1 for 825 days. Now will that is impressive, it is not that high on the list of players who have held the No. 1 position long. But there was a twist. The ICC had released an error. Yes, you read that right, it got it wrong.

Virat Kohli Jumps Up the List
The error has now been rectified at the backend, and a new statementhas been released. The number of days has been altered from 825 to 1547. That’s a whopping difference of 722 more days. That actually takes Kohli higher on the list, and he jumps to 3rd position. The top spot still belongs to Viv Richards with 2306 days as No. 1, while Brian Lara is second with 2079. So Kohli is in elite company, and he certainly deserves to be.

Virat Kohli’s Love Affair with the No. 1 Spot
Since mid 2021, Kohli has been away from the No. 1 spot. A brilliant 2025 took him back to 2nd spot,t and after his brilliant 93 vs New Zealand in the Vadodara ODI on January 11, ‘King’ dislodged ‘Hitman’ Rohit Sharma and became No. 1. Rohit has further slipped to 3rd place after Daryl Mitchell made 131 not out in New Zealand’series-levellingng victory in Rajkot on January 14.
It was in 2013 that Kohli became No. 1 for the first time. Since then, he has taken the position as many as 10 times in his career. It just shows that he has dominated at different periods and was in peak ODI form.

Virat Kohli’s Brilliant ODI Stats and His Unmatched Legacy
Kohli’s ODI numbers are proof of his greatness. The man has batted 298 times in 310 games with 47 not-outs. He’s made 14,673 runs at an average of 58.45 with 53 100s and 77 50s. Not to mention a personal best of 183. Add to that a strike rate of 93.67. The man scores quickly and consistently and has been doing so for nearly two decades.

‘King’ turns 38 in 2026 and has been around for around 18 years. ODI cricket is the only format he plays as he’s retired from T20Is and Tests. He’s in the twilight of his career,reer and an ODI retirement will mean an international farewell as the man aimsaim is to play the 2027 ODI World Cup and call time. Can he do it by winning the World Cup? Will we play the World Cup at all? Shall we see Kohli play for much longer? These questions have answers that are bound to come out in due time. But regardless of any of that, when Kohli does call it a day, it will be the end of an era, and his legacy will be set. The void he shall leave in Indian cricket will not be so easily filled. After Sachin Tendulkar, there was Kohli. After Kohli, who will it be?