Chennai: Star India batter Virat Kohli became the first Indian and overall sixth batter to cross 12,000 runs landmark in T20 cricket during the opening clash of the the Indian Premier League 2024 between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Friday.
The elegant right-handed batter, who opened the innings for the RCB, achieved the feat in the seventh over by scoring two runs against left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja.
Kohli also became the second fastest to reach this milestone after former West Indian batter Chris Gayle, who achieved this feat in his 377th game. Kohli is now only behind Chris Gayle, former Pakistani batter Shoaib Malik, former West Indies and Mumbai Indians all-rounder Kieron Pollard, Alex Hales and swashbuckling batter David Warner. He has also become the first-ever player to score 1000 runs against Chennai Super Kings in the cash-rich league.
Among them, Kohli, however, is the only one who averages over 40. He has eight T20 hundred, the most among all Indians, with a career-best knock of 122 not out. Kohli holds several T20 records to his name and is the leading run-getter in T20Is (4,037) and T20 World Cups (1,141).
The former RCB skipper has a great opportunity to become the first Indian batter to smash a century of 50+ scores in T20s and third overall after Chris Gayle (110), who leads the chart, followed by David Warner (109).
Kohli is also the highest run-getter in IPL of all time. In 237 matches, the India batter has scored 7,263 runs at an average of 37.24, with a strike rate of 130.02. His best score is 113. He has scored seven centuries, most by a batter and 50 fifties in his IPL career.
Last season, the legendary batter was the fourth-highest run-getter, piling up 639 runs at an average of 53.25 and a strike rate of 139.82. His best score was 101 not out. The 35-year-old scored two centuries and six fifties but could not take his side to the playoffs.
