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'Virat Kohli will get many more centuries than Sachin Tendulkar': Former cricketers go gaga after record 45th ODI ton
A couple of former India cricketers are uber-confident that Virat Kohli will certainly break Sachin Tendulkar's record for the most ODI centuries and leave the legend behind.
From zero centuries in approximately three years to 3 in six months, it's almost as of Virat Kohli's century drought is now a topic of the past. Kohli, the former India captain has finally rediscovered the groove that made him the most feared batter in world cricket as he began the year 2023 in style, notching up a record 45th ODI century against Sri Lanka in the series opener in Guwahati. Kohli blasted 113 off 87 balls, en route to shattering two humongous Sachin Tendulkar records, and played a pivotal role in India's imposing 67-run win at the Barsapara Stadium on Tuesday.
On a surface that was a batter's dream. Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer… all got starts, but only Kohli carried on. Sure, he received a couple of lifelines with Sri Lanka dropping him twice on 52 and 81, but who doesn't? With yet another century, Kohli took a giant step towards going past the one and only Tendulkar for the most centuries by a batter in ODIs. Tendulkar leads the charts with 49, and Kohli is just behind by four. From here onward, it's not a matter of if, but when Kohli reaches the pinnacle.
Former India cricketers Gautam Gambhir and Sanjay Manjrekar are uber-confident that Kohli will certainly leave Tendulkar behind for the record. The two star batters of their respective eras have been compared for as long as the mind can go back, and while Gambhir is not a fan of drawing parallels between cricketers from different generations due to the vast changes in rules, there is no doubt that Kohli is the undisputed kind of the current era, feels the two-time World Cup winning batter.
"It's not about the record honestly. Virat Kohli will go on to get many more centuries than Sachin Tendulkar in 50-overs format. See, the rules have changed. You should not compare eras. It's not fair to compare eras as well where there was one new ball as compared to now when there are 2 new balls with five fielders inside. But yes, he has been a master in this format and he has shown it over such a long period of time," Gambhir said on the Byju's Cricket Show on Star Sports.
Manjrekar too has 'no doubts' about Kohli climbing to the top and backs Virat to eclipse Tendulkar in another year and a half from now. Underlining Kohli's greatness, Manjrekar pointed out that unlike Sachin who used to open, Virat has played most of his cricket batting at No. 3, which makes his century accomplishments all the more special.
"He is not an opener so in every 50-overs game, he is not going there from ball number 1 and you are looking at the whole innings to get a hundred. He has batted at 3 most of the times so that is something you have got to consider. I have no doubt that he will overtake Tendulkar in one-day hundreds. I mean, it's just four hundreds to equal Tendulkar. It may happen in a year and a half. It's a 50-over World Cup year so I believe it could happen," Manjrekar added to Gambhir's take during the same show.
