Virat Kohli at 10,000 vs Top 5 ODI run-getters of all-time: A statistical comparison of how far he might reach

Virat Kohli is arguably the best batsman of this generation. Even after representing his team at the highest level for the last 10 years, he never ceases to amaze cricket fans with some astronomical performances on the field.

The most recent phenomenal milestone that the Kohli juggernaut has reached, is the 10,000 runs mark in ODIs. Kohli has become the fastest player to reach that milestone, and he has done that by leaving behind some phenomenal players like Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.

Virat Kohli is already second in the list of players with the highest number of ODI centuries and is well poised to overtake the Little Master in the next few years. His career has been a phenomenal one and he is capable of breaking a number of records through the course of his career.

The record which holds the highest value for a batsman is the runs that he scores in his career. Kohli has crossed the 10,000 runs mark and this article tries to compare his present ODI record with the top 5 ODI run-getters of all time to give fans an idea of where the Indian captain would finish on the ladder at the end of his career.

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#5) Mahela Jayawardene (12,650 Runs)

Mahela Jayawardene

The former captain of the Sri Lanka cricket team, Mahela Jayawardene is one of the most elegant players to have played the game. Along with being an elegant cricketer during his playing days, he also is a proud holder of an excellent ODI record which any budding cricketer would aspire for.

Jayawardene finished up his 17 years long career with 12650 runs in 448 ODIs. He was phenomenal for the Lankan team and has the highest ODI caps to his name from Sri Lanka. He has the second highest number of caps in ODIs and that is also a reason for his name being present in the list.

Kohli is already way ahead of Jayawardene in terms of the number of centuries and there is no comparison on that aspect. Jayawardene reached 10000 runs in his 333rd inning while Kohli has managed the same in just 205 innings.

The Indian captain is well poised to overtake Jayawardene's ODI career runs in 2-2.5 years.

#4) Sanath Jayasuriya (13,430 Runs)

Sanath Jayasuriya

Sanath Jayasuriya is among the three Sri Lankans who feature on this list. He was a phenomenal player for the Islanders throughout his career and was the main reason behind his country's maiden World Cup triumph in 1996.

Jayasuriya reached 10000 career runs in 328 Innings and was the second slowest to reach that mark after Jayawardene. Although he was slow to reach that mark, the fact that he was able to play more than 400 matches, helps him find his name on this list.

Kohli might not be able to equal Jayasuriya in terms of the number of ODI matches, but he will compensate that with his brilliant hunger for runs. He is again ahead of Jayasuriya as far as centuries is concerned.

Kohli has been scoring more than 1000 runs in a calendar year for the past 3 years and if he continues with that form, he will easily overtake Jayasuriya by 2022. However, going by his phenomenal hunger for runs, there is a possibility that he might go past him in 2021 itself.

#3) Ricky Ponting (13,704 Runs)

Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting is the only non-Asian batsman to feature in this list. He is Australia's most successful batsmen in all formats of the game.

Ponting is one of three players who is constantly argued as the greatest player of his generation. The fact that he is spoken about on the same breath as Sachin and Lara, proves how great a player he was.

Ponting reached 10,000 career runs in 266 innings while Kohli has managed to achieve the feat much sooner. Kohli recently went past Ponting in terms of the number of ODI centuries and is second in that list behind Sachin.

Ponting had a phenomenal career for Australia and finished up with 13704 runs in ODIs. This stat is enough to prove the greatness of Australia's most successful captain. Kohli is well poised to go past Ponting by 2022 to emerge as the third highest run-getter in the history of ODIs.

#2) Kumar Sangakkara (14,234 Runs)

Kumar Sangakkara

Kumar Sangakkara is yet another Sri Lankan batsman who features on the list. He is the best batsman that Sri Lanka has ever produced in ODIs, and the fact that he also kept wickets, only adds value to his career.

Sangakkara was the backbone of the Sri Lankan team throughout the 2000s and was instrumental in taking them to the finals of 2007 and 2011 World Cups. His performance in the 2015 World Cup was particularly exceptional where he scored 4 consecutive hundreds.

Sangakkara took 296 Innings to reach the 10,000 runs landmark while Kohli has managed to do the same in just 205 Innings. Kohli is already ahead of Sangakkara in terms of the number of centuries as well.

Kohli's trademark quality has been his consistency and that has helped him to achieve some phenomenal feats. He will definitely go past Sangakkara's ODI career runs as well, but it might take him 4 years to do that.

#1) Sachin Tendulkar (18,426 Runs)

Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar is the greatest batsman of his generation, and he rightfully finds a place at the top of this list. The man who is the closest to break a number of his records is his fellow countryman- Virat Kohli.

Sachin reached the 10000 runs mark in his 259th innings, but Kohli has managed to achieve the same feat 54 innings earlier. The gap between Kohli and Sachin is huge in this aspect but Sachin's longevity keeps him ahead of Kohli in terms of the number of runs.

Although Sachin has 49 ODI centuries to his name, Virat Kohli has been quickly inching closer to the record. He already has 37 centuries to his name in ODIs.

Kohli has scored more than 3 centuries a year on an average throughout his career, and even if he maintains that average, he will go past the Little Master in the next 4 years.

The tougher record for Kohli to break will be the record for career runs in ODIs. Kohli is adrift of Sachin by more than 8,000 runs, and he is already 29 years of age. Kohli playing till the 2027 World Cup is a definite possibility and if he scores 1000 runs every year, then he might be able to do the unthinkable by the end of his career.