5 players with most international runs before turning 30

November 5, 1988, a kid was born in Delhi. The kid was born to Prem and Saroj Kohli, during the early phase of his childhood, he developed a keen interest in cricket and 30 years later, he is regarded as one of the finest batsmen to have graced the game of cricket. Indian skipper Virat Kohli earned a name for himself when he excelled in age-group cricket in Delhi.

In 2008, Virat led India's under-19 side to glory in the World Cup which was held in Malaysia. After that, there was no looking back for Captain Kohli. He represented the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League(IPL) and made his international debut in the same year.

His career has grown from strength to strength and Virat's approach and hard work has made him an unstoppable force in world cricket. Early in his international career, he showed glimpses of his talent but as time progressed Kohli transpired into a legendary batsman as he converted the glimpses to an everlasting form.

Now, Virat Kohli scores centuries for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Owing to this, his comparison with Sachin Tendulkar becomes inevitable. On Virat Kohli's 30th birthday, let us take a look at five players with the most number of runs before turning 30.

#5 AB de Villiers (South Africa)

14164 Runs in 351 Innings

South Africa's AB de Villiers recently announced his retirement from international cricket. Over the years, De Villiers has represented the Proteas in all three formats, he has made a significant contribution for South Africa in all the formats. AB made his Test debut two months before his 21st birthday.

His international career didn't take off right away as he struggled in the early phase of his career but de Villiers converted himself into one of the most dangerous batsmen in the world. Before his 30th birthday, the Mr 360 scored 14164 runs in 351 innings. The 34-year-old's career can be divided into two phases.

Overall, AB de Villiers finished his career with 20014 international runs in 484 innings. He is regarded as one of the best batsmen to have represented the Proteas side.

#4 Graeme Smith (South Africa)

14512 runs in 353 innings

South African opener Graeme Smith scored 14512 runs before his 30th birthday. Smith made his international debut at the age of 21. In nine years, he managed to accumulate over 14000 runs. One year after his debut, he was appointed as South Africa's skipper, Smith led the side from 2003 to 2014, before announcing his retirement.

The southpaw is famous for his leadership exploits. Under his leadership, South Africa became one of the best touring sides. Smith was one of the most resilient players that the Proteas had, he is also famous for his courage. In 2008, Smith walked out to bat with a fractured arm.

Smith finished his career with 9265, 6989 and 982 runs in Tests, ODIs and T20Is respectively. Overall, he accumulated 17236 international runs. Graeme Smith is one of the finest openers that South Africa had.

#3 Jacques Kallis (South Africa)

15123 runs in 368 innings

Jacques Kallis, one of the greatest all-rounders to have stepped on the cricket field. Kallis made his international debut shortly after turning 20. For the next few years, Kallis was South Africa's star as he contributed with both, bat and ball. Before turning 30, the all-rounder managed to score 15123 runs in 368 innings.

He displayed versatility as he batted at different positions in different formats. At times, he would be exposed to the new ball and at times he would've to bat with the tail. With his talent and skill, Kallis managed everything with ease. Along with his batting exploits, he also contributed with the ball.

In his career, Kallis scored a total of 25534 runs. He also scalped 577 wickets to accompany his runs. Kallis also served South Africa in the slip cordon, he took 200 catches in Test cricket.

#2 Virat Kohli (India)

Happy Birthday, Virat Kohli!

Current Indian skipper Virat Kohli has entered into Club 30. The modern day master is amongst the most consistent batsmen in world cricket. In the last few months, Kohli has been unstoppable. Recently, Kohli reached 10000 one-day runs and became the quickest player to achieve the milestone.

He took only 11 innings to get from 9000 ODI runs to 10000 ODI runs. Earlier this year, in the Test arena, Kohli rewrote his England horror as he scored 593 Test runs at an average of 59.30. Kohli has played a total of 390 innings in which he has amassed 18665 runs across all formats.

Kohli has dominated world cricket, he has featured in 73 Tests in which he has scored 6331 runs at an average of 54.57. In ODIs, he has accumulated 10232 runs at an average of 59.83 and in T20Is, Virat has scored 2102 runs at an average of 48.82. In this list, Kohli stands behind one man, Sachin Tendulkar.

#1 Sachin Tendulkar (India)

Tendulkar's records are still untouched!

Sachin Tendulkar is regarded as the God of Cricket. Tendulkar made his debut in 1989 when he was a 16-year-old boy. He failed to negotiate Pakistan's pacers in his debut Test but the Mumbaikar was destined to greatness. Little did we know that his words "Main Khelega'' will be etched in the memory of each Indian cricket fan.

Tendulkar was already a cricket icon in India before his 30th birthday. Before turning 30, Tendulkar had already scored 21030 runs in 474 innings. Since Kohli's arrival into the scene, comparisons between Kohli and Tendulkar have been a regular sight. There should be no comparison between the two as the two played in different eras.

The legend finished his career with 34347 international runs. He is the only player to feature in 200 Tests. Tendulkar scored 15921 runs in Tests and 18426 runs in ODIs. He will always be regarded as the finest Indian batsman to have graced the game.