"I am addicted to feeling good about winning matches for the team" - When Virat Kohli opened up on his insatiable hunger for runs

Team India's batting run-machine Virat Kohli is undoubtedly one of the biggest superstars in world cricket. His numbers, particularly in white ball cricket, are exceptional to say the least. The 36-year-old has featured in 299 ODIs and has amassed 14,085 runs at an average of 58.20 and a strike rate of 93.41, with 51 hundreds and 73 half-centuries.

There have been a few instances in recent years when Kohli has been written off by critics, but has answered them with a brilliant batting effort. The former India captain was under pressure heading into the 2025 Champions Trophy match against Pakistan owing to his poor form. He, however, came up with a superb hundred to guide India to victory in Dubai.

Fans and critics have often wondered how Kohli manages to remain hungry and motivated despite his amazing level of success. In an interview to bcci.tv back in July 2014, a 25-year-old gave a detailed insight into his mindset of wanting to consistently score big runs for the country. He stated:

“Complacency is something that strangely has never been in my system. You can say that I am addicted to feeling good about winning matches for the team. And it’s a very bad addiction."

During the same interaction, the Delhi cricketer also revealed how he modified his batting routine at a young age and started moving his feet inside the crease. Kohli went on to explain:

“My batting routine is very important for me. I changed a bit of it in an under-16 camp. I started moving my feet inside the crease and began to shuffle. That brought a whole range to my shots and I was amazed by how it completely changed my batting. I have stuck to it since then and even today when I am not hitting the ball well, I know it’s that foot problem."

Kohli was the Player of the Match for his 100* off 111 balls as India beat Pakistan by six wickets in the 2025 Champions Trophy match in Dubai on February 23.

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Virat Kohli broke Sachin Tendulkar's massive record during 2025 Champions Trophy match against Pakistan

During his knock against Pakistan in Dubai, Kohli surpassed Sachin Tendulkar to become the fastest player to reach 14,000 ODI runs. While Tendulkar needed 350 innings to reach the landmark, Kohli got there in 287 innings. Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara is the only other batter with 14,000-plus one day runs.

Kohli already holds the record for having notched up most tons in one-day cricket. He has 51 to his name, followed by Tendulkar (49), Rohit Sharma (32), Ricky Ponting (30) and Sanath Jayasuriya (28).