Can Virat Kohli realistically chase Sachin Tendulkar’s 100-century landmark before he retires?

A dream that seemed to have come true after his temporary retirement has been revived as fans are once again filled with hope that Virat Kohli can reach the milestone of 100 international centuries before bidding farewell to ODI cricket following his remarkable comeback of consecutive centuries against South Africa. Despite speculation in the media that the Indian team management did not envisage Kohli and Rohit Sharma as part of their 2027 World Cup plans, the iconic duo have let their performances speak for themselves, leading to a reasonable assumption that both will continue to play ODI cricket until the big event, which is scheduled to take place in around two years.

Currently, Kohli has 84 international centuries, which is just 16 short of Tendulkar’s coveted record. Remarkably, apart from these two Indian batting legends, no other player has crossed 70 centuries; Ricky Ponting is third on the all-time list. Tendulkar accumulated 51 Test centuries and 49 ODI tons during his illustrious career. In comparison, Kohli has achieved 30 Test centuries and a triple-figure score in T20Is, as well as 53 ODI centuries.

India have one ODI match left in 2025 and this will be the third match of the current series on Saturday, December 6. The number of ODIs is expected to increase significantly from 2026 onwards. According to the Next Tour Schedule, India are scheduled to play 21 ODIs before the 2027 IPL. Additionally, India’s Bangladesh tour, which was planned to be held in 2025, was postponed to 2026.

The 2027 ODI World Cup will take place in October-November 2027, and it is stated that India can potentially play 10-11 matches in the 14-team format if it advances to the final. Before that, the Men in Blue will compete in the Asian Cup, where they can play six matches if they reach the final.

It is important to note that the Next Tour Schedule has only been announced up to March 2027 and India may have additional ODIs ahead of the World Cup.

Kohli is now just 16 centuries away from achieving the remarkable milestone of 100 centuries, which translates into an average of 2-3 centuries per match. During his career, he accumulated 53 centuries in 307 ODIs spread over 295 innings. This results in an impressive rate of 5.73 centuries per match and 5.56 per innings. To achieve the much-coveted 100th century, the Indian cricket icon will need to almost double his current century rate as he nears the end of his career.

Between 2016 and 2018, which is often considered Kohli’s best period, he scored 15 centuries in just 50 matches, averaging 3.33 centuries per innings. If the 37-year-old can repeat this performance, he could be very close to that milestone.

Since December 2022, when Kohli ended a 3.5-year century drought in ODIs against Bangladesh, he has recorded 10 centuries in just 45 matches, averaging 4.5 centuries per innings. This pace exceeds his career average, but he will need to increase it further to reach his goal.

The possibilities are endless with a player of Kohli’s caliber and it would be unwise to ignore the chance of reaching the 100th century mark. But it remains a challenging goal that seems unattainable.

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