Kohli surpasses Tendulkar as India's chase master in Auckland win

Virat Kohli produced a masterclass with the bat, scoring a brilliant 74 to guide India to a five-wicket victory over New Zealand in the first one-day international at Eden Park on Wednesday.

The victory also saw Kohli surpass Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar to become the highest run-scorer in ODI run chases, further strengthening his reputation as one of the greatest finishers in the format.

Kohli reached his 80th ODI half-century off just 35 balls, hitting 13 fours and a six in his 51-ball innings. His performance helped India chase a revised target of 143 with 56 balls to spare under the Duckworth-Lewis method, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

The 37-year-old came to the crease after former captain Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a duck in the opening over. He quickly settled in and dominated New Zealand's pace attack with a series of impressive pulls and hooks.

Kohli shared a 113-run partnership with captain Shubman Gill, who contributed 37 off 56 deliveries, to put India firmly in control of the chase.

Rain interrupted India's innings twice, but Kohli continued his aggressive approach after the revised target was set. Jacob Duffy claimed three wickets for the hosts.

Earlier, New Zealand were bowled out for 185 in 40.2 overs after India elected to field. Tim Seifert top-scored with 38, while Glenn Phillips made 30 and Daryl Mitchell added 28. Blair Tickner provided late resistance with a quickfire 34 off 23 balls.

Arshdeep Singh led India's bowling attack with four wickets for 70 runs, while Gurnoor Brar picked up three for 44.

Meanwhile, Kohli's innings took his career tally in ODI run chases to 8,741 runs in 169 innings, including 30 centuries and 46 half-centuries. He moved past Tendulkar, who scored 8,720 runs in 232 innings, with 17 centuries and 52 fifties.

Kohli achieved the milestone in 63 fewer innings than his childhood idol. No other batter has scored even 7,000 runs in ODI run chases, with India's Rohit Sharma occupying third place on the list. Kohli now has his sights set on becoming the first batter to reach 9,000 runs while chasing in ODIs.