20 to go: Can Virat Kohli break Sachin Tendulkar’s 100 centuries record?

When Tendulkar bid adieu to his illustrious 24-year international cricket in 2013, he walked away holding numerous cricket records, which were, at the time, thought nobody would come near to.

However, the emergence of Kohli in 2008, changed that perception.

Tendulkar scored a world record 100 international centuries – 51 in Tests and 49 in ODIs. While his Test hundreds record is still safe, experts and fans are looking at the possibility of Kohli scaling ‘Mount 100 Tons’.

So, what are the chances of Kohli breaking Tendulkar’s all-time international centuries record of 100? Let us analyse.

As of today (November 16), Kohli has scored 80 international centuries (50 in ODIs, 29 in Tests, 1 in T20Is). Between 2008 and 2013 – in 15 years’ time, Kohli has amassed 80 tons in international cricket from 517 matches across formats (111 Tests, 291 ODIs, 115 T20Is).

Tendulkar, arguably the best batsman of his era, played in 664 matches (200 Tests, 463 ODIs, 1 T20I) and registered 100 international hundreds over 24 years.

Statistically speaking, Kohli is above Tendulkar. But statistics don’t tell the complete story. It is unfair to compare players of different eras when rules are changing, boundaries have become shorter, bats have been better and the game is now heavily loaded in favour of the batters.

When Tendulkar retired from international cricket, he was 40 years old. Making his debut at 16 in 1989, Tendulkar’s longevity was amazing. Kohli, who considers Tendulkar as his idol, is currently 35, and one of the fittest cricketers in the world.

Kohli’s realistic chance of going past Tendulkar

The time the next ODI World Cup is played in 2027, Kohli will be 39 and it is unlikely that he will be around in the 50-over format. However, considering his hunger for playing for the country and love for Test cricket, Kohli is certain to be part of the Indian Tests for the next two to three years.

The World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-2025 cycle will see India playing 19 Tests over the next two years. With two already completed, 17 are remaining. Kohli is set to feature in all of them unless he requests for a break in between.

Kohli’s best chance to go to 80 to 100 centuries is in Tests and ODIs. He is not a regular in the Indian T20I setup. He hasn’t played a T20I for over a year now – since November 10, 2022 when India exited at the semifinal stage of the T20 World Cup losing to England in Australia.

While fitness is not an issue for Kohli, the concern will be loss of form. Between November 2019 and the start of September 2022, for 1,022, Kohli did not manage a single century. During that phase, questions were being asked of him whether he would come close to Tendulkar’s record. But all that changed after his maiden T20I hundred against Afghanistan in Asia Cup on September 8, 2022 in Dubai.

After that drought-ending three-figure mark, experts have hailed him as Kohli 2.0. In the last 15 months – from September 2022 to November 2023 – Kohli has in great form, with 10 centuries across formats.

Now, in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023, Kohli has already hit three centuries in 10 matches and could have had three more tons to his name (dismissed for 85, 95, 88).

If Kohli maintains the current consistency, surpassing 100 hundreds may not be a tough ask.

Former Indian all-rounder Ravi Shastri feels Kohli can achieve the feat.

“Who would have thought when Sachin Tendulkar got 100 hundreds that anyone would come close and he's got 80, 80 international hundreds, 50 of them in the one-day game and which makes him the highest. Unreal,” Shastri, who was India’s coach when Kohli was captain, told ICC Review podcast after Kohli’s 50th ODI hundred.

“Nothing's impossible because such players, when they start reeling off hundreds, then they score them pretty quickly. His next 10 innings, you might see another five hundreds.

“You have three formats of the game and he's part of all those formats. To think that he still has three or four years of cricket ahead of him is simply mind-boggling,” he added.