All 50 Centuries of Virat Kohli: Here’s a look back at each of Virat Kohli’s 50 ODI centuries as Indian cricket celebrates this momentous occasion.
A celebration of the greatest ODI batting career of all time is in order. On Wednesday, Virat Kohli became the first and only batter in the 52-year history of ODIs to complete 50 centuries during the 2023 World Cup semifinal between India and New Zealand.
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For a long time, even the thought of replicating Sachin Tendulkar’s 49 tons seemed impossible. Today, Kohli is Tendulkar’s heir to Indian batting, having achieved a milestone players could only dream of 12 years ago.
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Let’s take a trip down memory lane as Indian cricket celebrates Kohli’s 50th ODI century with a recap of all his centuries.
1st Century: 107 against Sri Lanka, 2009, Eden Gardens on 24/12/2009
Kohli scored a brilliant century against Sri Lanka in his 14th ODI, one year and three months after making his India debut. There was no easy way to accomplish this. In Eden Gardens, Sri Lanka scored 315 after Upul Tharanga’s 118 and Kumar Sangakkara’s half-century. Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar were lost with just 23 on the board for the Indians in reply. Gautam Gambhir and Kohli then partnered for 224 runs. Gambhir’s unbeaten 150 helped India win after Kohli retired for 107 after hitting 11 fours and a six.
2nd Century: 102* vs Bangladesh, Mirpur on 11/01/2010
Kohli had a great run in a tri-nation tournament in Bangladesh that included Sri Lanka. Back-to-back league matches saw him score 91 against the hosts and unbeaten 71 against the Lankans. Kohli finally reached the three-figure mark in both of these innings, making it four wins in a row for India. Kohli’s unbeaten century led them to victory over Bangladesh by six wickets chasing a target of 248. There was a need for someone to bat through for India since Gambhir and Dinesh Karthik both got starts. Despite holding one and hitting 11 fours, Kohli played that role to perfection. Despite losing to Sri Lanka in the final, Kohli shepherded India’s chase three times in a row.
3rd Century: 118 vs Australia, Visakhapatnam on 20/10/2010
As India chased down 290 against Australia, Kohli produced arguably the best performance of his teenage career. Despite Michael Hussey’s half-century and Cameron White’s half-century, Australia managed 289 runs after Michael Clarke’s 118. Kohli outwalked India to reduce them to 35/2. With India still adrift by 118 runs after Yuvraj was dismissed, Kohli hit his grittiest century to date. Despite cramping and having to bat with a runner, Kohli and Suresh Raina put on 84 runs unfazed. The victory for India had been set up by Kohli, who eventually perished.
4th Century: 105 vs New Zealand, Guwahati on 28/11/2010
Kohli scored his fourth century overall and a second hundred in a row as India defeated New Zealand by 40 runs despite a batting collapse. Despite Kohli’s 105 off 104 balls, the entire Indian batting order failed.
Kohli’s heroics, aided by Ravichandran Ashwin’s three wickets, S Srinath’s three and Yuvraj’s three wickets, kept the Indian innings alive despite losing the last six wickets for 26 runs.
5th Century: 100* vs Bangladesh, Mirpur on 19/02/2011
The Indian opener scored a century on his World Cup debut in February of 2011. He was the 13th batter to do so in the history of the tournament. The ability Kohli showed in driving the ball on a slow surface was commendable, and his century may have been buried under Virender Sehwag’s mountainous 175.
As Kohli and Sehwag ran Shakib Al Hasan’s team ragged, ensuring there was no repeat of Antigua 2007, Kohli’s century secured his place for the rest of the tournament.
6th Century: 107 vs England, Cardiff on 16/09/2011
It was Kohli who sizzled with his maiden century outside the subcontinent, despite Rahul Dravid’s cracking 69 in his final ODI for India. The century partnership between Kohli and Dravid – of 170 runs – had so much significance for so many reasons. Among all Indian wickets against England, it was Dravid’s highest partnership. The century by Kohli and the swansong of Dravid did not stand a chance against Bairstow’s match-winning century.
7th Century: 112 vs England, Delhi on 17/11/2011
A month after the Cardiff World Cup, Kohli and Gambhir successfully anchored an Indian chase at the Ajun Jaitley Stadium (formerly Feroz Shah Kotla).
This was Kohli’s fifth ODI century in five months, and the 209-run stand he shared with Gambhir was the fourth-highest third-wicket stand against any team in history. Given the delightful batting conditions at the Kotla, England’s 236 was a low total, but Kohli’s knock made it seem even lower.
8th Century: 117 vs West Indies, Visakhapatnam on 02/12/2011
In Visakhapatnam, Kohli and Rohit Sharma formed the first of many memorable partnerships. As India chased 270, Parthiv Patel, Sehwag, and Gambhir lost wickets to leave them at 84/3 before Kohli and Rohit added 163 runs for the win. Despite missing out on his maiden century for India, Rohit made an unbeaten 90 to help India win. Kohli’s performance in another successful Indian chase began to catch the world’s attention.
9th Century: 133 not out vs Sri Lanka, Hobart on 28/02/2012
Kohli’s career became synonymous with the knock he played three months later. When India faced Australia and Sri Lanka in a tri-nation series, they faced a difficult situation. To stay alive in the race for the final, India needed to chase down Sri Lanka’s mammoth 320/4 in 40 overs, thanks to centuries from Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan. In 36.4 overs, Kohli knocked them down. Kohli dispatched everything in his zone with disdain during his 86-ball stay, which included a 24-run over off Lasith Malinga. That evening, a legend was born.
10th Century: 108 vs Sri Lanka, Mirpur on 13/03/2012
On a very different pitch and in very different conditions, Kohli dominated Sri Lanka again a fortnight later. India reached 304 with a double-century partnership of 207 runs between him and Gambhir, falling short by 50 runs to Sri Lanka. People wouldn’t talk about this as much as the Kohli Asia Cup hundred.
11st: 183 vs Pakistan, Mirpur on 18/03/2012
It would also mark a turning point in Kohli’s career at the 2012 Asia Cup if he scored a fourth century. The pressure was firmly on India as old adversary Pakistan came up next after India had been beaten by Bangladesh, in which Tendulkar scored his 100th century in international cricket.
Kohli walked into the batting pavilion with a score of 0/1 after Tendulkar set them a mammoth 330 target in 50 overs. A truly remarkable event followed. Sachin and Kohli put on 133 runs for the second wicket, and Rohit and Kohli added 172 runs for the third wicket. India were always in control thanks to his 22 boundaries and two sixes. After Kohli was out, India was 13 short of the target, a task easily accomplished by the batters following him. As a result, India failed to qualify for the semifinals, losing to Bangladesh on head-to-head basis.
12nd: 106 vs Sri Lanka, Hambantota on 21/07/2012
After scoring 364 runs in the IPL, Kohli had a disappointing IPL by his standards. The events that followed are legends in the making. Kohli gave up his shoddy lifestyle and embarked on a fitness journey that is setting records up to this day.
In his first innings since the beginning of his transformation, Kohli smashed a century against a team he had developed a fondness for. While Sri Lanka came close to winning, they lost by 21 runs due to Kohli’s 314, Sehwag’s 96 and Raina’s 50.
13rd: 128* vs Sri Lanka, Colombo on 31/07/2012
India sealed the series with a 4-1 lead three ODIs later after Kohli orchestrated a triumphant chase once again. Kohli scored his 8th century in chase, and Raina scored his third fifty of the series. Kohli ranked first among batters who scored 1000+ runs in ODI chases with an average of 61.02. Virat Kohli and Raina shared 146 runs against Sri Lanka, the third-highest fifth-wicket stand for India. The rate of runs they scored per over during their innings was impressively 7.82.
14th: 102 vs West Indies, Antigua on 5/07/2013
Kohli went almost a year without a century before he and India’s newly-flourishing opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan broke the deadlock against West Indies at Port of Spain.
In the rain-affected match, Kohli’s blistering century enabled India to win convincingly by 102 runs (DLS method) after being swept aside by Sri Lanka in the tri-series earlier.
15th: 115 vs Zimbabwe, Harare on 23/07/2013
As MS Dhoni rested in 2013, Virat Kohli led India for the first time and immediately made a mark with a century. Despite not being a strong opponent, India chased down 229 in 44.5 overs with Ambati Rayudu scoring a fifty and adding 159 with his captain. Under Kohli, Team India was about to take on a whole new look.
16th: 100 not out vs Australia, Jaipur on 16/10/2013
There isn’t enough attention paid to Kohli’s century. No doubt, Kohli’s 133 and 183 against the Australians were epic, but his hundred was pure annihilation. Since the 2003 World Cup final in Johannesburg, 359 had haunted every Indian cricket fan, and Kohli eased some of that pain 10 years later.
In just 52 balls, he smashed the fastest century by an Indian on ODIs, ensuring that the momentum set by Rohit’s 141 and Dhawan’s 95 wasn’t wasted. Six Aussie batters scored half-centuries, but Kohli’s century trumped them all as India reached the target in 43.3 overs. Carnage!
17th: 115* vs Australia, Nagpur on 30/10/2013
In Jaipur, Kohli continued his assault on Australia. In the sixth ODI of the series, he scored his third ODI century against the Australians, which was a repeat of the madness at Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Kohli bludgeoned 18 fours and a six along the way to finish with 115 off 66 balls.
With 156, George Bailey played his best innings of his life, but it was overshadowed by a brutal 350-run attack by Kohli and Dhawan. In 64 chases, Kohli has scored 11 hundreds.
18th: 123 vs New Zealand, Napier on 22/01/2014
A rare Kohli century that ended in defeat for India, but the 24-year-old had scored centuries in eight countries by then. Kohli kept India alive in their pursuit of 292.
As the entire Indian batting lineup crumbled, Kohli waged a lone battle, hitting 11 fours and two sixes at McLean Park. Kohli continued to pile up crazy numbers despite India losing by 24 runs.
19th: 136 vs Bangladesh, Fatullah on 26/02/2014
Despite Kohli’s successful chase, Bangladesh have never been pushovers on their own turf, and India would have learned the hard way otherwise. Captain Mushfiqur Rahim scored a hundred to help them reach 280. As India approached 54/2 with both openers gone, Kohli played a masterful knock to steady the ship. India is on course for victory after he and Ajinkya Rahane put on 213 runs together. In the 25th over, Kohli reached a fifty off 48 balls, and in the 38th over, he reached a hundred off 95 balls.
20th: 127 vs West Indies, Dharamsala on 17/10/2014
Kohli experienced his first slump in international cricket between February and October of 2014. Although the celebrations were subdued when Kohli finally scored his first international century in six months, the significance of the knock could not be ignored after India’s nightmare tour of England. With Rahane and Raina, Kohli added 72 runs to take India to 330 after returning to No. 3. West Indies lost by 59 runs to the West Indies due to a pay dispute between the players and the board, and their last match of the tour was cancelled. Marlon Samuels’ 112 wasn’t enough, and the West Indies fell short of their target.
21st: 139* vs Sri Lanka, Ranchi on 16/11/2014
Kohli continued to demonstrate his form and confidence ahead of the 2015 World Cup by dominating Sri Lanka single-handedly. Kohli took it upon himself to pull off the Kohli special when Rayudu’s 136-run stand with Kohli ended. Until the fifth and final ODI, four Indian batters had hit centuries in this series. Kohli outdid Angelo Mathews’s 139 with a sublime knock.
22nd: 107 vs Pakistan, Adelaide on 15/02/2015
Kohli’s second century at the World Cup came against Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval, a team he enjoyed playing against at a venue he enjoyed scoring runs at. It was Kohli’s hundred, as well as support from Dhawan and Raina, that propelled India to 300. When Yasir Shah dropped Kohli at deep midwicket on 3 and when Umar Akmal put him down on 76, he was on 3.
Following a poor tri-series against Australia and England, where he failed to go past 20 even once, he began India’s World Cup campaign with a bang, winning six in a row against Pakistan.
23rd: 138 vs South Africa, Chennai on 22/10/2015
Kohli spent six more months without scoring a century in ODIs before ending his previous drought, but he could not have chosen another attritional knock to do so.
Kohli held his own against an attack that included Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, and Chris Morris at Chepauk on a hot, humid and sweltering day.
After Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked three, India lost by 35 runs to the spin trio of Harbhajan Singh, Axar Patel, and Amit Mishra despite India missing 300 by a run.
24th: 117 vs Australia, Melbourne on 17/01/2016
In many ways, 2016 is to Kohli what 1998 was to Tendulkar, and what a way to begin the year than to extend his juggernaut against Australia. During his knock, Kohli played the role of anchor, scoring 119 runs with Dhawan and 109 with Rahane. He played through trying to ensure the wheels didn’t come off as only 40 of his 117 runs were boundaries. Shaun Marsh and Glenn Maxwell both scored half-centuries to help India reach 295/6.
25th: 106 vs Australia, Canberra on 20/01/2016
A Kohli century, but another defeat, as India failed to chase down 349 set by Australia following Aaron Finch’s 107, David Warner’s 93, and Steve Smith’s 51.
The centurion for India wasn’t just Kohli; with Dhawan’s 126 and their partnership of 212, India was on course for its second-highest successful ODI chase in history, but once the stand broke and the two set batters collapsed within two overs and two runs, India lost the match.
With India 277/1, needing 72 off 75 balls, they collapsed to lose nine wickets for 61, with Kane Richardson taking five wickets.
26th: 154* vs New Zealand, Mohali on 26/10/2016
A single ODI was not played between January and October by Kohli. During Kohli’s manic 973-run season in the IPL, he damaged his webbing, putting him on the shelf. A week after returning to the ODI set-up, Kohli scored a 154 – his second-highest score in the format – against New Zealand at home. Kohli and Dhoni put on a 151-run partnership, hitting 16 fours and a six. Kohli was dropped from No. 6 to No. 4, and Dhoni was promoted to No. 4. The only thing VK needed was luck.
27th: 122 vs England, Pune on 15/01/2017
A rampaging Kohli and Kedar Jadhav began 2017 on a rampaging note as they chased down England’s target of 351. When India was 4 down for 63, all hope seemed lost, but Kohli and Jadhav’s 200-run partnership put them back in contention. Despite Kohli’s power hitting, Jadhav was not far behind with four sixes on his way to a career-best 120 off just 76 balls. In spite of both being dismissed with 59 to get, Hardik Pandya’s 40 not out off 37 balls gave India their joint second-highest successful chase.
28th: 111 vs West Indies, Jamaica on 6/07/2017
In their pursuit of 206, India was not troubled, hurried or rushed by Kohli as they reached the target with ease within 37 overs. Despite this, Kohli did not have to break a sweat. His shot selection looked much more controlled after he stopped second-guessing against the short ball. Kohli’s 18th century, the most by any player, overtook Tendulkar’s 17 to seal India’s 3-1 victory.
29th: 131 vs Sri Lanka, Colombo on 31/08/2017
Rohit and Kohli forged a dominant 219-run partnership off just 165 balls after Kohli chose to bat only for the second time in his captaincy career. Rohit scored 88 runs in 96 balls while Kohli scored 96 off 96 balls. In the initial stages, it appeared that both would post double centuries and India would register the highest total ever, but Lasith Malinga’s 300 wicket triggered a mini-collapse, which saw them lose 4 wickets for 49 runs. Nevertheless, Dhoni and Manish Pandey were involved in a century partnership of their own starting with the 39th over because of the pace at which Kohli and Rohit scored their runs. When India reached 375, Sri Lanka got bowled out for 207 and lost by 168 runs, making the game a no-contest.
30th: 110* vs Sri Lanka, Colombo on 3/09/2017
As India completed a 5-0 whitewash against Sri Lanka, Kohli equaled Ricky Ponting for the second-most ODI centuries – he made it 79 innings quicker. Kohli’s easiest century, this one was for the statisticians. Bhuvneshwar’s maiden five-wicket haul was as important as Kohli’s century. Sri Lanka’s 239-run target was easily chased down with his 99-run stand with Panday and 109 with Jadhav.
31st: 121 vs New Zealand, Wankhede on 22/10/2017
During Kohli’s 200th ODI, he played one of his best innings in India. Kohli scored a brilliant century in Mumbai’s energy-sapping heat, but his fellow batters let him down. A 37 by Dinesh Karthik was second best after Kohli’s 122, which took some shine off his century. With one over to go, New Zealand successfully chased down India’s 280 by six wickets, thanks to Tom Latham’s century and Ross Taylor’s 93.
32nd: 113 vs New Zealand, Kanpur on 29/10/2017
In their next ODI, Kohli and Rohit once again starred with the bat, combining for 230 – their fourth 100-run partnership in 50 overs. While Kohli started off his innings with a bang, Virat was content to follow Rohit’s lead once he switched gears. However, none of New Zealand’s batsmen played a big one, which meant that they came extremely close – just 6 runs short – but India won their 7th straight bilateral ODI series.
33rd: 112 vs South Africa, Durban on 1/02/2018
In the ODI leg of the tour, Kohli operated on beast mode after losing the Test series 1-2. Throughout the six-match ODI series, he steamrolled South Africa, scoring a century in the first match itself. Faf du Plessis’ 120 was beaten by Kohli’s 112 against a South African pace attack featuring Morne Morkel. Kohli’s 100 gave him a freak stat over the last five years – he had scored centuries every five innings. Kohli now has an ODI century in all nine countries he has played in. Rahane contributed 79 off 86 balls, but Kohli’s innings was incredible.
34th: 160 vs South Africa, Cape Town on 7/02/2018
Cape Town was even more impressive than Durban. In his second-highest ODI score, Kohli walked out in the first over and batted until the end. Again, Kohli was merciless, hitting 12 fours and two sixes. Kohli’s century gave India the chance to avoid losing the series for the second time in three games. Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal supported Kohli’s assault perfectly, taking four wickets each to guide India to a 124-run victory.
35th: 129* vs South Africa, Centurion on 16/02/2018
Kohli led a rather comfortable chase of 206 to end South Africa’s misery. After being bowled out for 204 with Shardul Thakur leading the way with a 4-wicket haul, the Proteas were mentally and physically exhausted. Kohli’s 61-run partnership with Dhawan and another 126-run unbeaten stand with Rahane completed India’s 6-1 win over South Africa.
36th: 140 vs West Indies, Gwalior on 21/10/2018
The Windies piled up 322 for 8 on a flat Gwalior deck with Shimron Hetmyer scoring his third ODI century, but their bowlers ran into another Kohli-Rohit epic. With 47 balls remaining, the team reached the target with the help of a fifty double-century stand between two stalwarts of Indian cricket. A fourth ODI double was on the cards for Rohit, but he fell for 152, after which Kohli stunned WI with a stunning display of strokeplay. As India ran West Indies ragged by 8 wickets, he struck 21 fours.
37th: 157 vs West Indies, Visakhapatnam on 24/10/2018
In the very next game, Kohli followed up his 140 in the previous game with another 150-plus score. After reaching 10000 ODI runs, he was almost relieved when West Indies almost achieved India’s target of 322. For India to surpass 300, Kohli and Rayudu added 159 for the third wicket. Hetmyer’s 94 and Shai Hope’s century matched Kohli’s calibre and dominance in the field. As a result, West Indies’ disappointment overshadowed India’s narrow escape.
38th: 107 vs West Indies, Pune on 29/10/2018
For the first time in his career, Kohli scored three centuries in a row for the first time in his career. The West Indies’ win over India overshadowed Kohli’s personal high. As long as Kohli batted, India’s chances were bright. In the 42nd over, Jason Holder delivered the knockout blow. Kohli’s departure left the lower order with too much to get, allowing West Indies to draw level.
39th: 104 vs Australia, Adelaide on 15/01/2019
India’s chase of 299 was set by Kohli’s calm and composed knock before Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik’s finishing touches forced the series into a decider. The batsman batted fluently, playing caution when necessary and upping the ante at the right time. Kohli added vital partnerships throughout the innings – 54 with Rohit, 59 with Rayudu, and 82 more with Dhoni. Dhoni and DK’s unbeaten stand made it 1-1 despite India still 47 adrift.
40th: 116 vs Australia, Nagpur on 5/03/2019
Kohli once again set up India’s 500th ODI win with a crisp 116 that took India to 250. Kohli’s century and Vijay Shankar’s 46 off 41 balls were the only significant contributions by the Indians, but a clinical bowling performance by Kuldeep and Jasprit Bumrah made India’s total look like 300. Prior to Shankar’s bowling, Marcus Stoinis and Peter Handscomb threatened to take the game away from India. Shankar’s two wickets, along with his knock with the bat, gave India an 8-run win.
41st: 123 vs Australia, Ranchi on 8/03/2019
As India missed a big opportunity, Kohli stood as a lone warrior. Kohli’s 123 was surpassed by Khawaja’s 104, as Australia posted 313 runs, while India fell short by 32 runs. Shankar chipped in with a score of 32 after Kohli, chipping in with form before the 2019 World Cup. After Kohli and Jadhav’s 88-run partnership, Cummins, Richardson, and Zampa punctured the Indian batting. After leading 2-0, India lost the final three ODIs to lose the series 2-3.
42nd: 120 vs West Indies, Port of Spain on 11/08/2019
In the semifinals of the World Cup, where India failed to reach the century mark, Kohli vented his frustration on a rudderless West Indies, hitting 120. Gayle’s 300th ODI was spoiled by him as India won by 59 runs (DLS method) as because it was rain affected match. In their revised chase of 270 from 46 overs after Kohli’s century and Shreyas Iyer’s 71, Bhuvneshwar’s four-wicket haul dismissed Windies for 210 to give India a 1-0 lead.
43rd: 114 vs West Indies, Port of Spain on 14/08/2019
Kohli and Iyer delivered similar narratives three days later, the captain scoring a century and the youngster scoring a fifty. As India chased down 255 with relative ease, Kohli and Iyer scored 120 runs at 7.5 runs per over. As a result of Kohli’s drop on 11, the Windies would pay the price. Since then, he has been spotless in his approach. West Indies scored 240 after rain reduced the game to 35 overs per side. Gayle and Lewis scored half-centuries. With a revised target of 256, India reached the target in just 32.2 overs. In the end, Kohli’s last ODI century would be a long time coming.
44th: 113 vs Bangladesh, Chattogram on 10/12/2022
During the 2022 Asia Cup, Kohli finally ended his three-year century drought in international cricket. After 25 innings and 1214 days, he scored his first century in the format. Kohli’s century in the third and final ODI against Bangladesh ended the wait. It followed Ishan Kishan’s phenomenal 210-run innings.
In addition to becoming the fourth Indian batter to score a double century, Kishan became the fastest batter to reach 200 in an ODI innings. With an impressive second-wicket partnership of 290 runs, Kohli and Kishan contributed significantly to India’s success, setting the stage for India’s commanding total of 409/8, thus paving the way for a resounding 227-run win.
45th: 113 vs Sri Lanka, Guwahati on 10/01/2023
Kohli scored five more hundreds over the next 11 months in 2023 as a result of his century against Bangladesh. In his first test, Kohli faced Sri Lanka, a team he has always enjoyed playing against. Kohli, who dropped twice – once on 52 and then again on 81 – stayed until almost the very end to ensure Sri Lanka were set a huge total of 274. It wasn’t Kohli of old – he didn’t quite take off in the death overs like he did earlier – but it was enough to give India 70 runs in the final nine overs. In response, Sri Lanka scored 306 on Captain Dasun Shanaka’s 108, but it was too late.
46th: 166 vs Sri Lanka, Thiruvananthapuram on 15/01/2023
A century has been a rarity for Kohli over the past three years, but he has notched up three in 45 days, and once again he chose Sri Lanka to inflict violence on with a tsunami of a knock that included eight sixes, the most Kohli has ever hit in an ODI innings. Despite Gill’s 116, Kohli remained not out to set Sri Lanka a mountainous target of 391. During Kohli’s first dig, the pitch was slow, which made his innings stand out. Kohli scored 84 off 34 balls after scoring 82 off 76. Kohli was fresh as if he had just walked out to bat when he faced the last ball of the innings.
47th: 122 vs Pakistan, Colombo on 10/09/2023
In the Asia Cup just a few months ago, Kohli continued his golden run of form against Pakistan with an astonishing century. Due to rain on the scheduled date, Kohli and KL Rahul resumed play on reserve day and scored 233 runs together. With a lifeline on 60, Kohli and Rahul rocketed India to 356/2 – their highest ODI total against Pakistan. During the innings, Kohli scored 4, 4, 6 and became the fastest to 13,000 runs. Kuldeep’s five-wicket haul helped Babar Azam’s team surrender by 228 runs.
48th: 103* vs Bangladesh, Pune on 19/10/2023
Kohli scored his second World Cup century against Bangladesh eight years after scoring his first in 2015. In Kohli’s star-studded and record-tumbling career, the world saw him give importance to his personal milestone for the first time, but it didn’t cost him anything. As India was on cruise control towards the total, when Kohli was 20 runs short of his century, India was 20 runs away from victory. With just one run needed off the last ball for three consecutive overs, Kohli finally clinched a six to mark his 48th ODI century after taking 19 deliveries and refusing three singles. As a result of this achievement, he was just one step away from Tendulkar’s 49th century world record.
49th: 101 vs South Africa, Kolkata on 5/11/2023
Kohli’s masterclass continues another day. Though it was a remarkable achievement in its own right, Kohli orchestrating such innings has become routine. This is where the man’s true greatness lies. A record-equaling 49th century was scored by Kohli during the 2023 World Cup match against South Africa, celebrating his 35th birthday. Only Tendulkar had more tons in ODIs. In a 243-run thrashing of the Proteas, Kohli’s knock gave India their 8th straight victory.
50th: Today vs New Zealand, Mumbai on 15/11/2023
Kohli had a strong ODI knockout record going into the semifinal of the 2023 World Cup against New Zealand. The 2011 semifinals had seen him score nine runs against Pakistan, the 2015 semis had seen him score one against Australia, and the 2019 semis had seen him score one against New Zealand. The entire nation was worried about India’s chances against the bogey team on the day Kohli ended his semi-final curse. As a result of his century against the BlackCaps, Kohli became the first man ever to reach a half-century of hundreds in ODIs, breaking Tendulkar’s record of 49 tons. Kohli also broke Tendulkar’s 20-year-old record for most runs scored in a single World Cup edition.