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Virat Kohli’s 500th India match: List of players with the most international appearances

Virat Kohli's 500th match: Players with the most international appearances
by Wisden Staff 3 minute read

Virat Kohli will clock 500 international appearances when he takes the field against the West Indies in Trinidad – here’s the list of players with the highest combined appearances in Tests, ODIs and T20Is.

Kohli, in his 15th year of international cricket, completes 500 international games during the ongoing Test series in the Caribbean. It will be his 111th Test, in addition to his 274 ODI and 115 T20I matches. It was in the 2011 tour of the Caribbean that Kohli made his Test debut, having already featured in ODIs since 2008, and T20Is since 2010. Incidentally, it is also the 100th Test between India and West Indies.

In all, Kohli becomes the 10th cricketer to reach the landmark of 500 international appearances, right above Inzamam-ul-Haq, who played 499 matches. Here’s the full list:

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#9 Rahul Dravid (509)

Tests: 164, ODIs: 344, T20Is: 1

Considered one of India’s finest Test batters, Dravid, a former captain and current head coach, is directly above Kohli in terms of international appearances. He played the second-most Tests for India – 164 – between 1996 and 2012, while also featuring in 344 ODIs and a solitary T20I.

#8 Jacques Kallis (519)

Tests: 166, ODIs: 328, T20Is: 25

One of the greatest all-rounders of all time, Kallis is South Africa’s most capped international player and also their leading run-getter. Kallis has featured in the sixth-most number of Tests, and also played the most ODIs for South Africa, along with 25 T20Is.

#7 Shahid Afridi (524)

Tests: 27, ODIs: 398, T20Is: 99

Pakistan’s most capped player, Afridi retired and came back several times across a two-decade long career. He played just 27 Tests, but featured in the most ODIs by a Pakistan player, retiring as their top wicket-taker in T20Is as well.

#6 MS Dhoni (538)

Tests: 90, ODIs: 350, T20Is: 98

Considered among the finest captains of all time, Dhoni is India’s second-most capped player, featuring in Tests until 2014, and in ODIs and T20Is until 2019.

#5 Ricky Ponting (560)

Tests: 168, ODIs: 375, T20Is: 17

Among the most complete all-format batters of his generation, and a three-time World Cup winner, Ponting is Australia’s most capped player, featuring in Tests and ODIs until 2012. Among Tests, only Sachin Tendulkar and James Anderson have played more.

#4 Sanath Jayasuriya (586)

Tests: 110, ODIs: 445, T20Is: 31

The first of three Sri Lankans in the top five, Jayasuriya was the mainstay of their batting for the most part of the 1990s and 2000s. A revolutionary opener and a fine left-arm spinner in his own right, he retired behind Tendulkar in terms of ODI runs and appearances.

#3 Kumar Sangakkara (594)

Tests: 134, ODIs: 404, T20Is: 56

Finishing just shy of 600 appearances, Sangakkara, a former Sri Lanka captain, finished as an all-time batting great while also being one of the finest wicketkeepers of his time. He finished with the most international runs for Sri Lanka.

#2 Mahela Jayawardene (652)

Tests: 149, ODIs: 448, T20Is: 55

One of Sri Lanka’s greatest, Jayawardene was their middle order pillar for nearly two decades, also evolving into an able skipper in the latter half of his career.

#1 Sachin Tendulkar (664)

Tests: 200, ODIs: 463, T20Is: 1

Considered by many as the greatest batter of the modern era, Tendulkar is the only cricketer to feature in 200 Tests, in addition to his 463 ODI appearances, also a record. He played just one T20I, but still leads this list.

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