Virat Kohli becomes first to average 50 or more in all SENA countries

Virat Kohli has become the first cricketer in one-day international (ODI) history to hold a batting average of 50 or more across South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia, known as the SENA countries. The milestone came during India's win over New Zealand in the first ODI.

Kohli scored 74 runs in that match, which India won decisively. His innings also took him past Sachin Tendulkar as the highest run-scorer in ODI chases. He matched Ricky Ponting's run tally against New Zealand and became the first player to reach 13,000 ODI runs batting at No. 3.

SENA is a shorthand for the four countries where batsmen traditionally face the toughest conditions, with fast and swinging pitches common in each. Kohli's average across all four clears 50, a level few batsmen reach in any single one of them.

Kohli's away-from-home form has carried India through tough overseas conditions, and results like this one matter for India's selection and planning, since the team relies on its senior batsmen in those conditions.

It is not yet known how many matches Kohli has played in each country, or the exact figures behind his averages. Further matches in the series will show whether his numbers hold.