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Virat Kohli added yet another chapter to his famed ODI career with a stellar 84-run knock that powered India past Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final in Dubai on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. The victory secured India's fifth final appearance in the Champions Trophy.
The 36 year old surpassed Shikhar Dhawan to become India's highest run-scorer in Champions Trophy history. His record is an imposing 746 runs in 17 matches at an average of 82.88 with six fifties and a century, overtaking Dhawan's tally of 701 runs from just 10 matches.
Kohli now has his sights set on scripting history in Sunday's final, where he could eclipse Chris Gayle's record for the most runs in the Champions Trophy. Gayle leads with 791 runs from 17 games; Kohli is just 45 runs away from overtaking the West Indian great.
Top 10 run-getters in Champions Trophy:
| Player | Games | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Strik Rate | 100 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Gayle | 17 | 791 | 133 not out | 52.73 | 88.77 | 3 | 1 |
| Virat Kohli | 17 | 746 | 100 not out | 82.88 | 89.44 | 1 | 6 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | 22 | 742 | 84 not out | 41.22 | 84.80 | - | 5 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 10 | 701 | 125 | 77.88 | 101.59 | 3 | 3 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | 22 | 683 | 134 not out | 37.94 | 71.36 | 1 | 4 |
| Sourav Ganguly | 13 | 665 | 141 not out | 73.88 | 83.12 | 3 | 3 |
| Joe Root | 12 | 656 | 133 not out | 59.63 | 95.21 | 2 | 3 |
| Jacques Kallis | 17 | 653 | 113 not out | 46.64 | 77.46 | 1 | 3 |
| Rahul Dravid | 19 | 627 | 76 | 48.23 | 73.33 | - | 6 |
| Ricky Ponting | 18 | 593 | 111 not out | 39.53 | 76.51 | 1 | 4 |
Adding to his long list of milestones in ODIs, Kohli broke Sachin Tendulkar's record for the most 50-plus scores in ICC ODI tournaments. His latest half-century was his 24th in ICC ODI events, surpassing Tendulkar, who held the previous record of 23.
The Indian batting maestro also became only the second player in ODI history to score over 8,000 runs in run chases, joining Tendulkar.
While Tendulkar tops the all-time list with 8,720 runs in 242 matches, Kohli took his tally to 8,063 runs from just 170 matches.
Kohli, who is regarded as the best batter in run chases in ODIs, holds the record for most centuries while chasing a target with 28 tons with Tendulkar a distant second on 17.