During the 2026 Wellington ODI, which was the second game of the five-match ODI series between the hosts New Zealand and the visitors India in the 2026/27 season, former Indian captain Virat Kohli created history by becoming the most ODI run-scorer against New Zealand.
Here, we can see the top five ODI run-scorers against New Zealand.
Top 5 most ODI run-scorers against New Zealand
Player (Team) | Runs Scored |
Virat Kohli (India) | 1978 |
Ricky Ponting (Australia) | 1971 |
Sachin Tendulkar (India) | 1750 |
Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) | 1568 |
Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) | 1519 |
Leading ODI run-scorers against New Zealand
Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka)
Legendary Sri Lankan cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya ended his international career with 1519 ODI runs against New Zealand. The left-handed batter hit five hundreds and eight half-centuries against New Zealand in his ODI career, with his highest score of 140 during the 1994 Bloemfontein ODI.
Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)
Former Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar Sangakkara holds the record for the most ODI runs by a Sri Lankan against New Zealand. The left-handed batter scored 1568 ODI runs against this team, including two centuries and 12 half-centuries, with the best score of 113 not out during the 2015 Wellington ODI.
Sachin Tendulkar (India)
Legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar had some memorable records against New Zealand, scoring 1750 ODI runs against the Blackcaps, including five centuries and eight half-centuries. In the 1999 Hyderabad ODI, he scored 186 not out against New Zealand, his highest ODI score against the team.
Ricky Ponting (Australia)
Former Australian two-time World Cup-winning captain, Ricky Ponting, was the previous record holder for most ODI runs against New Zealand with the ultimate score of 1971 ODI runs. The right-handed batter smashed six ODI centuries and 12 half-centuries against his continental rivals, with the highest score of 141 not out during the 2005 Napier ODI.
Virat Kohli (India)
It is no shocker when we see the name of legendary Indian batter Virat Kohli at the top of this list. The right-handed batter is very close to becoming the first to complete 2000 ODI runs against New Zealand, as he has already scored 1978 ODI runs against Blackcaps to lead this list. Kohli has already hit seven centuries and 11 half-centuries in ODIs against New Zealand, holding the record for the most ODI centuries against New Zealand. Kohli’s highest ODI score against New Zealand is 154 not out during the 2016 Mohali ODI.