Amidst a cheering and bustling Wankhede crowd, Virat celebrated the historic feat by removing his helmet and acknowledging the acclaim, paying homage to his cricketing idol, Sachin Tendulkarwith a bow.
With this 50th ODI century, marking his 80th international century overall, Virat now sets his sights on Tendulkar’s monumental record of 100 international centuries.
The question remains: Can Virat Kohli surpass Tendulkar’s incredible feat of 100 international centuries?
West Indies batting legend Brian Lara termed the task as ‘most difficult’.
“How old is Kohli now? 35, right? He has 80 but still needs 20. If he scores five centuries every year he’d need four more years to equal Tendulkar. Kohli will be 39 then. Tough job, very tough job,” Lara told Anandabazar Patrika.
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“Can’t say with certainty, no one can. Those saying Kohli will break Tendulkar’s 100-centuries record won’t be taking cricketing logic into account. 20 centuries seem a long way away. Most cricketers can’t score that in their entire career. I won’t be adventurous and say Kohli will do it,” he added.
“Age doesn’t stop for anyone. Kohli will break many more records but 100 centuries seems the most difficult one. My best wishes are with him. I’d be very happy if he could score 100 centuries like Tendulkar. Sachin was a dear friend and like I said before, I’m a big fan of Kohli,” he said.
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Virat, along with Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah will miss the white-ball leg of the South Africa series.
The Indian batting run-machine is the part of two-Test squad against the Proteas.
