Completing 19,000 runs in international cricket is a colossal achievement because it shows that the batter has been consistent in terms of scoring runs for his nation. It also shows that the bowlers could not tackle him much even though they had the data to study his game.
Many players have batted in international cricket, but only a few have touched the milestone of 19,000 runs in their careers. In this listicle today, we shall look at the top five fastest cricketers in terms of innings taken to join this club.
5. Joe Root completed 19,000 runs in 444 innings
Current England batter Joe Root joined this club today during the first day’s play of the fourth Test match between India and England in Ranchi. He jointly owns the fourth position with the following legend.
4. Jacques Kallis completed 19,000 runs in 444 innings
Another cricketer who achieved this record in 444 innings was South African great Jacques Kallis. The former Proteas all-rounder now jointly holds the fourth spot with Root.
3. Brian Lara – 433 innings
Regarded by many as the greatest West Indies batter, Brian Lara owns the third spot on the list. The left-handed batter achieved the milestone of 19k runs in his 433rd innings.
2. Sachin Tendulkar – 432 innings
For a long, long time Sachin Tendulkar held the record for the quickest batter to 19k runs in international cricket. He achieved the record in 432 innings, but this record was recently broken.
1. Virat Kohli – 399 innings
Joe Root Completed 19000 runs in Intl Matches
— CricBeat (@Cric_beat) February 23, 2024
Quickest Innings to 19000 International Runs
399 – Virat Kohli
432 – Sachin Tendulkar
433 – Brian Lara
444 – Ricky Ponting/Joe Root*
458 – Jacques Kallis
463 – AB de Villiers pic.twitter.com/VsrijwnVpb
The new holder of the record for the quickest to 19k runs in international matches is Virat Kohli. The star Indian batter is the only player to have achieved the feat in less than 400 innings, having done so in his 399th inning for India.
