Virat Kohli is chasing a unique piece of cricket history. The star Indian batter has scored five consecutive half-centuries in One-Day Internationals on five separate occasions. No other batsman across different eras has managed this remarkable consistency. Now, he stands one knock away from an unprecedented Indian record.
Kohli's Chance to Rewrite History in Rajkot
Virat Kohli will have the opportunity to create history tomorrow, on January 14. The stage is set at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot for the second ODI between India and New Zealand. A score of fifty or more in this match will make Kohli the first Indian batter ever to register six consecutive ODI fifties.
A Look Back at Kohli's Five Feats of Five
Virat Kohli first achieved this milestone back in 2012. He displayed stunning form against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan during that period. His scores in that sequence were an unbeaten 133, 108, 66, a mammoth 183, and 106.
He repeated the achievement the very next year, in 2013. This time, his victims were Australia and Zimbabwe. Scores of 68 not out, 61, an unbeaten 100, 68, and another unbeaten 115 highlighted his growing maturity and ability to finish games.
The third instance came more recently, during the high-pressure 2023 ODI World Cup. Kohli delivered consistently with scores of 88, an unbeaten 101, 51, 117, and 54, proving his class on the biggest stage.
During the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, Kohli notched up his fourth sequence of five consecutive fifties. He scored 82 against Australia, 77 versus Pakistan, 67 against Afghanistan, 72 facing the West Indies, and 66 in the match against England.
Most recently, in the 2025–26 season, Kohli showed his enduring class by achieving this feat for a fifth time. He posted scores of 74 not out, 135, 102, 65 not out, and 93 against strong opponents like Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand.
The Elite Indian Club of Five Consecutive Fifties
Only a handful of Indian batters have managed to score five consecutive ODI fifties in their careers. The legendary Sachin Tendulkar was the first Indian to do so, achieving it in 1994. His scores were 62, 66, 54, 88, and 105, with the first fifty coming against New Zealand and the rest against the West Indies.
More than a decade later, Rahul Dravid, known as 'The Wall', became the second Indian. He accomplished this against Bangladesh twice, the ICC World XI, and Pakistan twice.
Apart from Virat Kohli, only Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane have joined this exclusive Indian club. Sharma did it in 2019, while Rahane achieved the feat earlier, in the 2017-18 season.
The Global Leaders in Consecutive ODI Fifties
The all-time record for the most consecutive ODI fifties belongs to Pakistani great Javed Miandad. He scored half-centuries in nine consecutive innings back in 1987, a record that still stands.
Another Pakistani batter, Imam-ul-Haq, holds the second spot. The left-handed opener scored fifties in seven straight innings during 2021.
The elite group of batters with six consecutive ODI fifties includes several legends. West Indies' Gordon Greenidge, New Zealand's Andrew Jones, Australia's Mark Waugh, Pakistan's Mohammad Yousuf, New Zealand's Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, and West Indies' Chris Gayle have all achieved this.
This group also features Ireland's Paul Stirling, West Indies' Shai Hope, and Pakistan's Babar Azam. Notably, no Indian batter has yet managed to surpass the mark of five consecutive ODI half-centuries.
Kohli's Current Form and ODI Run Tally
Virat Kohli is in imperious form. If he maintains this rhythm, he is poised to join the global elite list of players with six consecutive fifties. In the first ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara, Kohli scored 93 runs, agonizingly close to what would have been his 54th ODI century.
With that innings, which was his 77th ODI fifty, Kohli's career run tally swelled to 28,068 runs. This allowed him to overtake Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara, who has 28,016 runs. Kohli now sits in second place on the all-time ODI run-scorers list. The master blaster Sachin Tendulkar remains comfortably at the top with 34,357 runs.
All eyes will now be on Rajkot. Can Virat Kohli break the Indian barrier and etch his name into a new chapter of cricket history?
