Every cricket season produces its share of record chases, but 2026 has lined up an unusually rich set of milestones, most of them involving India’s two most decorated modern batters.
Virat Kohli’s Milestone List
- Needs 339 IPL runs to become the first player ever to reach 9,000 runs in the competition
- Closing in on 28,000 international runs across all formats, on pace to reach the mark in fewer innings than both Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara
- On track to overtake Sangakkara as the second-highest international run-scorer in history
- Chasing a place among the top run-scorers in ODI history against New Zealand specifically, needing under 100 runs to pass Tendulkar’s mark against the Black Caps
These chases sit alongside Kohli’s ongoing role as one of the key Indian cricketers to watch before the 2027 World Cup, with the 50-over format now his sole international focus.
Rohit Sharma’s ODI Charts
Rohit already broke Shahid Afridi’s long-standing record for most sixes in ODI history during a series against South Africa. In 2026, he’s been closing in on Inzamam-ul-Haq’s ODI run tally, needing only a modest run of form to move further up the all-time list, with India scheduled to play around 11 ODIs across the calendar year.
Records Set During the T20 World Cup
The 2026 T20 World Cup itself reset several benchmarks, with Sahibzada Farhan’s 383 tournament runs and the shared wicket-taking tally between Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy both standing as new marks in the format.
Why These Chases Matter
Beyond individual glory, these milestones matter for legacy conversations that inevitably compare eras, and for the financial value tied to marquee names covered in our piece on the most valuable cricket contracts of 2026.