‘Who thought anyone would come close’: Ravi Shastri says Virat Kohli can surpass Sachin's 100 centuries record

Former Indian cricketer and ex-coach of the Indian cricket team, Ravi Shastri, does not think Virat Kohli, achieving the milestone of 100 centuries to match cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar’s record, is out of the question. Kohli has already surpassed Tendulkar’s record of 49 centuries in ODIs with his 50th century in the ICC World Cup 2023 semi-final against New Zealand. 

Shastri, speaking with Brian Murgatroyd in the latest podcast of The ICC Review, said that no one thought anyone could come close to Tendulkar’s ODI centuries record – but here we are! It would be foolish to rule Kohli out, said Shastri. “Who would have thought when Sachin Tendulkar got 100 hundreds that anyone would come close and he's got 80, 80 international hundreds, 50 of them in the one-day game and which makes him the highest. Unreal…Nothing's impossible because such players, when they start reeling off hundreds, then they score them pretty quickly. His next 10 innings, you might see another five hundreds,” said the former all-rounder.

The former coach said that Kohli is part of all the three formats of the game, and that he still has 3-4 years of cricket ahead of him. 

Shastri, praising the ace batter in the podcast, said that Kohli’s composure, body language and calmness of the crease was telling, in his knock against the Kiwis. “I have seen him come out in previous World Cups where he's like a cat on a hot tin roof. He wants to get on with it straight away. None of that sort here,” said Shastri, adding that Kohli took his time, marked his guard, soaked in the pressure and gave himself time in the wonderful innings against New Zealand. 

As per the former coach, Kohli’s “combination of mental shifts, technical tinkering and an emphasis on fitness” are his standout qualities. “It’s a mix of all three…gives him some time to be calm and composed at the beginning of the innings,” he said. 

Shastri also pointed out Kohli’s shot selection in the first 10-15 runs, where he doesn’t take risks. “He’s quite prepared to leave deliveries, knock the ball around,” said Shastri, adding that Kohli’s fitness allows him to take runs with legs, instead of just relying on boundaries. 

“One of the features of his batting has been his running between the wickets. The fact that he doesn't have to hit boundaries and sixes, he can run hard between the wickets because of his physical fitness," Shastri said, adding that even when Kohli is not scoring boundaries, he is rotating the strike. 

The former coach added, “And he always has that uncanny ability of making it up towards the back end of the innings.”

Virat Kohli became the first batter to score 50 ODI centuries. His actress-wife Anushka Sharma and Tendulkar, whose record he broke, were present in the audience to watch the momentous occasion. 

Also read: 'You are truly God's child': Anushka Sharma pens heartfelt note for Virat Kohli after historic 50th ODI hundred

Also read: India beat NZ to reach ODI World Cup final for 4th time after Shami's 7-wicket haul, tons by Iyer, Kohli