Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar said top batsman Virat Kohli has a real chance of equaling master blaster Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 centuries in international cricket. Gavaskar said that if the 37-year-old continues to play for the next three years, the remaining centuries are also within reach.
India won by nine wickets in the third and final ODI at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Saturday, December 6. ​​Chasing 271 runs, Rohit Sharma (75) and Yashasvi Jaiswal made a 155-run partnership for the opening wicket. Jaiswal remained unbeaten on 116 runs, while Kohli scored 65 runs in 45 balls.
His chances of reaching 100 are very big, very good – Sunil Gavaskar on Virat Kohli
Speaking on JioHotstar, Sunil Gavaskar said that Kohli has scored two centuries in the three-match series and can add more in the upcoming games, which will take him closer to the 80s. Gavaskar said that reaching 100 centuries seems quite possible.
Gavaskar said on air, “Why not? Even if he plays for three more years, he needs 16 centuries here.”
“The way he is batting, he has scored two centuries in the three-match series. Going forward, if he scores two more centuries in the three-match series against New Zealand, he will still reach 87. So the chances of him reaching 100 are very big, very good,” he said.
Virat Kohli played his shots with the second ball – Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar said Kohli looked relaxed and confident, noting that the strong opening stand allowed him to play freely. He said that it is rare to see Kohli playing like T20 in ODI innings.
“The way he batted today (Saturday), he knew the game was almost in India’s lap – he knew the openers had laid a good foundation and the in-form batsmen would have to follow it,” Gavaskar said.
“So he had a blast in the middle. Very rarely have we seen this T20 avatar of Virat Kohli in ODI cricket.”
“He played his shots with the second ball, and not a single one of them was careless. Can anyone tell me whether his innings had an inside edge or an outside edge?” Gavaskar said.
Virat Kohli redefines ODI approach with impressive 302-run series
Virat Kohli scored 302 runs in the series at an average of 151 and strike rate of 117.05. His strike rate was much faster than his career mark of almost 94. He scored two centuries and 65 not out in Visakhapatnam. The right-handed batsman hit 24 fours and 12 sixes in the entire series.
Kohli showed a great balance between aggression and control. Clearing the ropes more often than at most stages of his career, he still maintained his trademark strike rotation, regularly taking singles and doubles.
He has revamped his playing style in ODI matches. Instead of waiting until the final overs to accelerate, he is now applying pressure from the start while maintaining the consistency and running of the game that has defined his success.
Also read: Virat Kohli breaks records of AB de Villiers, MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar after India’s win in Visakhapatnam
