Former Indian cricket team batsman Suresh Raina shared his thoughts on whether Virat Kohli could surpass Sachin Tendulkar record for ODI centuries. Kohli recently scored his 47th ODI century during the Asia Cup Super Four match against Pakistan, contributing to India’s impressive 228-run victory.
His unbeaten score of 122, along with KL Rahul’s century, helped India reach a strong total of 356/2. Later, Kuldeep Yadav’s outstanding performance with the ball secured India’s record-breaking win against their neighbours.
On his way to his impressive innings, Kohli also set a record as the fastest player to reach 13,000 runs in ODIs, achieving this milestone in his 267th innings. In comparison, Tendulkar reached this mark in 321 innings, a considerable difference.
13000 ODI runs and counting for 👑 Kohli
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 11, 2023
He also brings up his 47th ODI CENTURY 👏👏#TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/ePKxTWUTzn
Virat Kohli’s 47th ODI century marked his 77th century in all international cricket formats, including 29 in Test matches and one in T20Is. Although he still has a significant gap to bridge to reach Tendulkar’s astonishing record of 100 international centuries, he is now very close to Tendulkar’s long-standing ODI record of 49 centuries.
Raina believes that Kohli is in such good form that he will likely surpass the 50-century mark during the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia, which will take place at home before the World Cup.
Suresh Raina makes prediction about Virat Kohli
“Virat Kohli is in excellent form, and he’s been batting exceptionally well. Sachin Tendulkar has 49 centuries, and Virat is at 47. I think he can achieve his fiftieth century during the India-Australia series. Batting at No. 3, he has plenty of opportunities, and we know he enjoys playing against Australia,” Raina shared during an interview on JioCinema’s Insiders Live.
Raina expressed his confidence in Kohli’s ability to surpass Tendulkar’s record, noting that Kohli has been enjoying his batting and is in a positive mindset, especially after becoming a father and having strong support from his partner.
Raina also mentioned Kohli‘s dedication to his cricket and fitness. He concluded by suggesting that Virat’s primary focus is on winning the upcoming series against Australia 3-0, rather than thinking about Tendulkar’s record.
The India vs Australia series will be the last huddle en route to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 to be played in India from 5th October with India taking on Australia in their first match on the 8th of October. The 3 match ODI series though will begin from the 22nd September with 2nd and 3rd ODI on the 24th and 27th September.
