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‘There’s a realistic chance if…': Ex-India coach passes verdict on whether Kohli can break Tendulkar's huge ODI record
Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar weighed in on the prospect of Kohli getting past Tendulkar's momentous feat in 2023. He expressed his opinion on the matter considering that India will play the ODI World Cup this year and might reach the final as well.
Virat Kohli has showed signs of old vintage self with two centuries in the white ball format in 2022. The former India captain ended his century drought after 1020 days in Asia Cup 2022 as he notched up his 71st international hundred which was also his maiden ton in T20I cricket. He the ended the year on a high by notching up his 44th One-Day International century in the third game against hosts Bangladesh.
With 44 ODI hundreds, Kohli is just six centuries short of breaking legendary Sachin Tendulkar's world record in the 50-over format. Tendulkar has got 49 hundreds to his name in ODIs and Kohli stands a chance to surpass it in 2023 itself. During an interaction on Star Sports, former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar weighed in on the prospect of Kohli getting past Tendulkar's momentous feat in 2023. He expressed his opinion on the matter considering that India will play the ODI World Cup this year and might reach the final as well.
"He has done that at a breathtaking pace because to reach 44 hundreds so young in his career is a fabulous achievement. But for me, can he do it this season taking into account the number of games that India have - maybe 26 or 27 if they eventually end up reaching the finals, then obviously there is a realistic chance that he can touch that milestone," said Bangar.
Bangar further highlighted how difficult it would be for Kohli to equal or break Tendulkar's milestone, given that the 34-year-old currently plays for India across all formats.
"He will have to bat out of his skin because as somebody who is playing all the formats, he will have to take regular breaks. I think the breaks will now be in the T20 format, not so much in the 50-over format. I don't think he will touch it but he will get pretty close," opined the former India batting coach.
Interestingly, Kohli was not selected in the Team India squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka in January 2023. He has been included in the ODI squad against Sri Lanka though.
