‘Sachin Tendulkar would be the happiest if…’: Ex-BCCI selector's staggering claim after Virat Kohli hits 45th ODI ton
Much like Tendulkar, India's batting prowess became recognised around Kohli as he became the ambassador of cricket in India. And like Tendulkar, Kohli often comes under the radar of critics who accuse him of playing for records.
Former India captain Virat Kohli has come back to his old run-machine self. The 34-year-old recorded back-to-back centuries when he slammed 113 off 87 balls against Sri Lanka in the 1st One-Day International(ODI) match on Tuesday. The ton came just weeks after he had notched up his 72nd international hundred, against Bangladesh in December and which was the last ODI that Team India played in 2022. With a total of 45 centuries to his name in the 50-over format, Kohli is just four short of equalling legendary Sachin Tendulkar's world record of hitting highest number of tons in ODIs.
Since marking his debut for Team India in 2008, Kohli has created, broken and eclipsed past plethora of records international cricket. He emerged as the No.1 batter across formats and is touted as one of the greatest ever to play the game. Much like Tendulkar, India's batting prowess became recognised around Kohli as he became the ambassador of cricket in India. And like Tendulkar, Kohli often comes under the radar of critics who accuse him of playing for records.
In an interaction on India News Sports after the first ODI against Sri Lanka, former India cricketer Saba Karim weighed in on the criticism around Kohli and the accusation that he plays for records. Karim also made the prediction that Kohli would soon break Tendulkar's record of scoring the most ODI centuries.
"Sachin Tendulkar would be the happiest if Virat Kohli broke his record of scoring the most ODI centuries. With the kind of form that he is in, I think he is going to break that record very soon," said Karim.
"I don't think Kohli is playing for records at the moment. He aims to win the World Cup for Team India and is completely focused on that," he added.
In a remarkable achievement, Kohli equalled Tendulkar's record of hitting 20 ODI centuries at home and he achieved the feat in 61 fewer innings. The ODI World Cup 2023 is set to take place in India and Kohli will have a huge role to play in the hosts' chances of winning the coveted trophy for the third time, having emerged victorious in 1983 and 2011.
