In Sunday’s World Cup 2023 match against England, India’s star batter Virat Kohli will be on the verge of matching the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the most centuries in the ODI format. Tendulkar, who retired from ODI cricket in 2012, accumulated an impressive 49 centuries during his career, a record that still stands. Currently, Kohli is just one century away from equaling Tendulkar’s remarkable achievement, with 48 ODI centuries to his name.
In Dharamsala, Virat Kohli had a golden opportunity to tie Tendulkar’s record but fell short when he was dismissed for 95 runs while attempting to clear the boundary with a six to reach the milestone during a run-chase. His most recent century came in a World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh in Pune, where he scored 103 runs off 97 balls, leading India to a comfortable victory.
Virat Kohli has been in outstanding form throughout the ongoing World Cup, amassing a century and three half-centuries, totaling 354 runs in five matches. He appears to be in excellent touch, effortlessly finding boundaries with his bat. Given his current form, it would not come as a shock to witness him achieve another century, especially against an English team struggling at the bottom of the standings.
Virat Kohli’s record against England in ODIs
In the upcoming match against England, the former Indian captain will aim to equal the long-awaited record, and nothing less will be expected from him. Kohli has a track record of scoring centuries against England, having notched up three hundreds and nine half-centuries in 35 innings, with an average of 43.22. These statistics, however, fall short when compared to his impressive overall batting average of 58.16.
Meanwhile, apart from chasing centuries, Virat Kohli is on the cusp of surpassing Sachin Tendulkar in another elite list. Kohli is only 21 runs away from becoming the top run-scorer for India in international cricket against England, across all formats. Kohli has accumulated 3970 runs, placing him second on the list behind Tendulkar, who has 3990 runs to his name. If Kohli manages to score 30 runs on Sunday, he will not only surpass Tendulkar’s record but also become the first batter to score 4000 runs in India-England matches.