Virat Kohli is a name in cricket that seems made for breaking records. Every milestone appears small in front of him, and against New Zealand, he was once again showing what he can do with the bat.

Before rain interrupted India’s innings in the first ODI in Auckland, Kohli looked as though he was batting on a different pitch. While other batters struggled to find their rhythm, he was scoring at a strike rate above 100. His technique and ability to handle the conditions showed why he remains such a special batter.

During that innings, he reached another historic landmark: Kohli became the first batter to complete 13,000 runs at No. 3 in ODI cricket.

Scoring 13,000 ODI runs across an entire career is an extraordinary achievement. Kohli has now reached that figure from one batting position alone.

Ricky Ponting, the first batter to reach 12,000 ODI runs at No. 3, finished with 12,662 runs in that position. Kohli had already moved past that total. By reaching 13,000, he has now crossed a milestone no other No. 3 batter has achieved.

The distinction matters. This innings did not mark the moment Kohli overtook Ponting; it extended his lead into territory that had never been reached.

Ponting remains the closest name on the list, but his international career is long over. Sangakkara and Kallis also finished their careers well short of the milestone.

Our firm assessment is that Kohli’s ODI run record at No. 3 will never be broken. That conviction rests on the combination required to challenge it: exceptional consistency, a long career, a settled batting position and enough ODI opportunities.

A challenger would need to keep scoring heavily for years while retaining the No. 3 spot. Fitness, selection and form would all have to hold up across changing conditions and different stages of a career.

The gap facing potential challengers is enormous. Babar Azam is around the 6,000-run region at No. 3, leaving him with roughly another career’s worth of runs to reach 13,000. Given his recent struggles, even reaching 10,000 in that position looks a demanding task.

Kane Williamson is no longer an active international challenger, having retired from international cricket. That removes another established No. 3 batter from the pursuit.

With world cricket increasingly focusing on T20Is, the number of ODI matches is expected to decrease significantly in the future, leaving upcoming batters with fewer opportunities to challenge Kohli’s record.

Kohli’s batting before the rain interruption illustrated how he has built this record. On a surface where scoring was not straightforward, he found a way to move at more than a run a ball.

That ability to adapt is essential at No. 3. An early wicket can bring a batter in against the new ball, while a strong opening partnership demands that he maintain the momentum. The role requires both control and the ability to accelerate.

Kohli has carried those responsibilities across his career. His technique gives him a foundation in difficult conditions, while his scoring options prevent bowlers from keeping him quiet for long.

And the target is still moving. Kohli remains active, so every additional run he scores at No. 3 will increase the total that a future challenger must chase.