Virat Kohli, often and rightfully referred to as ‘King Kohli,’ has completed his 82nd international century, and now his millions of fans, or maybe a billion, are once again discussing the probability of him reaching his 100th. Only one man on the planet has scored 100 international centuries — Sachin Tendulkar. Kohli is now 18 short of equalling that world record.
After a relatively poor Test series in Australia late last year, despite having a great start to the five-match series, followed by underwhelming outings in India, Kohli has regained form in ODIs — a format he has mastered. He has also been highly successful in Test matches.
In fact, Kohli has cracked centuries more frequently in Test cricket, scoring one every 4.1 matches, while he has taken 5.8 ODIs to reach a hundred.
Kohli is in his 37th year, and as he confessed after scoring his 82nd in a Champions Trophy encounter against Pakistan on February 23, he now needs more time to recuperate after a draining match.
“At 36, a week off is very good. It takes a lot out of me to put in that much effort,” he admitted with a smile after winning the Man of the Match award for his 111 ball 100. India’s next Champions Trophy match is on March 2 against New Zealand, though both teams have already qualified for the semi-finals.
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The 100-ton question
After Kohli’s ton against Pakistan, the question of whether he can equal or surpass Tendulkar’s record has resurfaced. It is an intriguing debate, considering factors like Kohli’s advancing age and his retirement from T20 internationals. The discussion continues to engage millions of cricket fans and followers of both stalwarts.
Some experts refuse to be drawn into comparisons. “I don’t understand this comparison. Do you compare when you listen to Kishore Kumar and Mohammed Rafi? Some might prefer Kishore Kumar over Rafi, while others might favour Rafi over Kishore Kumar. But you enjoy them both when they sing,” former India Test wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta beautifully explained while speaking to Patriot.
Tendulkar played international cricket until he was 40 years and 206 days old, finishing with 200 Test matches. When Kohli scored his 82nd century on February 23, he was 36 years and 110 days old. Interestingly, it was his first ODI century in eight matches.
Comparing Tendulkar and Kohli by age would be unfair. Tendulkar started miles ahead of his predecessors, contemporaries, and perhaps even future generations. He was just 16 years and 205 days old when he made his international debut in a Test against Pakistan in November 1989 in Karachi, while Kohli was 19 years and 287 days old when he made his ODI debut in August 2008 against Sri Lanka in Dambulla. So, Tendulkar had a significant advantage of over three years over Kohli.
Another reason why age isn’t a fair comparison: By the time Kohli debuted internationally, Tendulkar had already played 22 Tests, scoring four centuries, and had 12 half-centuries in 49 ODIs (though he had not yet scored an ODI century). Given the lower frequency of international matches in 1989 compared to today’s hectic schedule, this contrast highlights why using age as a metric to compare them is problematic. The current packed calendar could be both an advantage (more opportunities) and a disadvantage (wear and tear) for Kohli, making the comparison moot.
Crucial factors
When Tendulkar was concluding his 24-year international career, he was not in “chase mode,” unlike Kohli. By that stage, he was setting records virtually with every run he scored. Many of his major records, such as most Test matches and most international runs, were achieved not at the very end but much earlier in his career. Additionally, in sheer numbers, Tendulkar was ahead of his contemporaries like Brian Lara, Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting, and Sourav Ganguly when he retired in late 2013.
Kohli, a player from a generation after Tendulkar, finds himself in a completely different situation. The Delhi batter will always be compared to Tendulkar and other greats, whether or not he surpasses their records. That constant comparison is an unavoidable burden of being Kohli — one that Tendulkar did not have to face to the same extent.
Form and fitness will be key in determining how long Kohli can extend his international career. In terms of fitness, he appears to have no major concerns, aside from the occasional niggles. However, the crucial factor will be his hunger for runs and sustained form.
With the next generation of players rising quickly and scrutiny growing ever more intense, Kohli will need to remain at the top of his game every time he steps onto the field.
His century against Pakistan appears to have revitalised him. He was visibly happy and content with his latest effort. “I have a decent understanding of my game. It’s about keeping the outside noise away, taking care of my energy levels and thoughts,” he said after receiving the Man of the Match medal in Dubai. “It’s easy for me to get pulled into expectations and the frenzy around games like these. I kept telling myself I’ll give my 100 percent while fielding. That’s why I take pride in it. When you put your head down and go about your work, things work out.”
The calculation
How Virat Kohli’s career unfolds remains to be seen. Experts and fans can only speculate, assuming different scenarios based on his existing numbers. However, since he has retired from T20 internationals, he has fewer opportunities to accumulate centuries. In Test cricket, a player gets two chances to bat per match, whereas ODIs offer just one opportunity per game.
In the past decade (2015-2024), India has played 190 ODIs, averaging 19 matches per year. Kohli has scored 51 centuries in 299 ODIs, meaning he scores a century approximately every 5.86 matches. Based on this rate, and assuming he doesn’t score more Test centuries, he would need to play 105.48 ODIs to score the 18 centuries required to match Tendulkar. On the basis of these averages, it translates to approximately 5.55 years, meaning he would be close to 42 years old by then.
In Test cricket, Virat Kohli has scored 30 centuries in 123 matches, averaging a hundred every 4.1 games. Over the last 10 years, India has played 102 Tests, averaging 10.2 matches per year. Based on these two averages, Kohli would require 73.8 more Test to reach 100 centuries, which would take another 7.23 years — putting him close to 43.
It is, however, highly unlikely that Virat Kohli will score all his future centuries in just one format. If he continues excelling in both ODIs and Test, he could reach 100 centuries sooner than these estimates suggest.
Dasgupta refrains from predicting whether Virat Kohli will equal Tendulkar’s 100 international centuries. “The best format to get centuries is Test matches [due to two innings per match] and one-day cricket. For Tendulkar, it was Test cricket where he got the bulk of his hundreds. For Virat, it’s ODIs,” he explains.
Tendulkar scored 51 centuries in 200 Tests and 49 in 463 ODIs, while Kohli has 30 Test hundreds in 123 matches and 51 ODI centuries in 299 games.
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Rediscovering form
Kohli is known for bouncing back strongly after hitting a rough patch. This has been a defining feature of both his Test and ODI careers. On multiple occasions, he has rediscovered form and struck back-to back centuries. In ODIs alone, he has scored consecutive hundreds 10 times. So, watch out, New Zealand.
“I don’t know. He may get into a streak and score five hundreds in a row, but I’m just saying this for argument’s sake,” Dasgupta says.
“If you have achieved as much as Virat Kohli, you are financially secure and are in a good place in life, would do you still wake up at 6 in the morning, hit the gym, and turn up for practice? Him doing all this, including working with Sanjay Bangar (former India batting coach), tells me that Virat still has the hunger. So, it was just a matter of time before he started scoring runs again,” Dasgupta says, referring to the recent five sessions that Kohli, who had a poor tour in Australia, had with Bangar.
“And then there are Test matches as well. He’s likely to tour England this summer [for five Tests], and what happens post-England remains to be seen,” he adds. “Virat Kohli has been a great player and entertainer. Everyone has a shelf life. He’s no exception. So, as long as he’s playing, let’s enjoy him.”
The writer is a senior journalist based in Delhi and has covered sports for over three decades
