How Realistic Are Virat Kohli's Chances Of Scoring 100 Hundreds After West Indies Drubbing?

Kohli needs 15 hundreds to surpass Tendulkar [Source: AFP]

On Sunday, the King played a majestic knock as Virat Kohli slammed his 55th ODI hundred to help India take a 1-0 lead in the series against the West Indies. The hosts needed 296 runs to clinch the win, and Kohli, alongside Shubman Gill, made light work of the target as he broke several ODI records.

This was his 86th international century (across formats), and now, the 37-year-old needs just 15 more centuries to surpass his idol, Sachin Tendulkar, and become the player with the most hundreds in international cricket.

With Kohli solely focusing on ODIs (having retired from Tests and T20Is), the player has only one format left to achieve the target of 100 hundreds. Here is how many matches Kohli will realistically need to surpass Tendulkar and become the greatest centurion in world cricket.

How many matches Kohli will realistically need to surpass Tendulkar?

With the popularity of T20Is, ODIs have decreased, but the World Cup 2027 is still a year away, and the 37-year-old will play plenty of ODI matches to have a shot at breaking the record.

(Matches India will play up until the end of 2027 ODI World Cup)

Realistically, Kohli will get a maximum of 32 more ODI matches to break Tendulkar’s 100-century feat, and in those matches, he needs to score 15 more tons to become immortal.

However, he almost has to score a ton in every second ODI innings to keep up the pace in order to score 101 hundreds. As per the current schedule, Kohli will play two more ODI matches against the West Indies before the Indian caravan moves to New Zealand for a five-game series.

The New Zealand tour will be followed by consecutive home ODI series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. The Asia Cup, next year, will take place in 50-over format, and if India reach the final, Kohli will at least play six games.

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The Asia Cup will be followed by the World Cup 2027, which would be his last marquee event for India, and again, if India reaches the final, the legendary batter will realistically play 13 matches.

How many ODI centuries has Kohli scored in last 32 innings?

The former Indian captain will at least play 32 more ODI matches, unless the plan changes. We take a look at how many centuries he has actually scored in the last 32 matches that he has played in this format.

In the last 32 ODI innings, Kohli has scored 8 hundreds. Three of them came in the 2023 World Cup against Bangladesh, South Africa, and New Zealand.

In 2025, he smashed tons against Pakistan and South Africa, and in 2026, his two hundreds came against the Kiwis and the West Indies.

In the last 32 ODIs, he has scored a ton in every fourth innings that he played, but to break Tendulkar’s record, he now has to score a century in every second innings.

What works in Kohli's favour as he eyes 101 centuries?

Kohli 2.0 version has been a treat to watch, and since the start of 2025, he has taken his ODI game to a different level.

Since 2025, he has scored five ODI hundreds, and each of them has come in at a solid strike rate as Kohli continues to dominate the bowlers. In 20 matches, the right-handed batter has amassed 1174 runs, with an astonishing average of 73.38 and a strike rate of 104.36.

He has witnessed a purple patch, and an in-form Virat Kohli will fancy his chances of reaching 101 international centuries to break Tendulkar’s record.

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