Virat Kohli made history during the India vs New Zealand ODI World Cup semifinal by becoming the first player to claim 50 ODI hundreds, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most centuries in the format.
Former Pakistan fast-bowler Shoaib Akhtar, who is currently in the UAE for the International League T20, commended Kohli as the preeminent batsman of the current era in anticipation of the upcoming Test series between India and England. Akhtar drew comparisons between Kohli and Tendulkar, expressing his belief that Kohli would have been a formidable competitor even in past cricketing eras.
Akhtar also expressed his desire for Kohli to achieve the milestone of 100 international centuries, a feat only accomplished by Tendulkar so far. Kohli currently holds 80 centuries across various formats, just 20 away from this remarkable record.
Kohli’s illustrious career includes 26,733 runs from 522 international matches across formats, with an average of 54.11. His achievements encompass 80 hundreds and 139 half-centuries, firmly establishing him as a cricketing icon of this generation.