![Virat Kohli and Sunil Gavaskar [Source: AFP]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1794204842351_Sunil_Gavaskar.jpg?type=hq)
Virat Kohli and Sunil Gavaskar [Source: AFP]
Virat Kohli punched out a sizzling 51-ball 74 for India in the first ODI match of their five-match away series against New Zealand. While the cricketer was dismissed by Jacob Duffy, the 38-year-old might not have reached his century in any case considering rains halted play just a couple of overs later in the game.
For future matches, however, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar wants other Indian batters to occasionally sacrifice their runs to allow Kohli get to his centuries, considering the legendary Indian batter only has a year left in his career and is still 14 tons behind in joining the exclusive 100 international century club.
Gavaskar says Kohli’s 100 tons will be celebrated by all Indian cricket fans
While writing in his column for Mid-Day, Sunil Gavaskar claimed that Indian cricket fans have always been fond of individual records, even though legendary Indian cricketers like Virat Kohli have repeatedly stated that they do not play for personal milestones.
Indirectly citing the example of the recently-concluded India vs New Zealand 1st ODI in Auckland, Gavaskar stated that if such an occasion arises again, he wants other Indian players to sacrifice their runs to allow Kohli to get to his century.
The former Indian cricketer added that the entire nation wants Kohli to get to 100 international centuries, as the moment will be a “glorious” one for all Indian cricket fans.
He wrote, “Indians have always been fond of records and so there's always a debate about the rights and wrongs of going for it. One thing for sure that 99% of those who say they don't play for records are actually incapable talent and temperament wise of setting any and so it's easy for them to say so.”
Sunil Gavaskar added, “There is not a single Indian cricket fan who does not want Virat Kohli to get to 100 international centuries. We are all cheering for him to get there and so, if there's an occasion where some other teammate sacrifices his runs to allow him the chance to get there, the glory will not be just Kohli's but for all Indian cricket fans too.”
Can Virat Kohli get to his 100 centuries?
Just a couple of months ago, Virat Kohli plundered his international century number 86 through his 139* against the West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram.
With several reports claiming that the modern-day batting behemoth will bow out of the game after the 2027 World Cup, the seasoned pro only has 12 months remaining in his international career.
During this period, Team India will approximately play 35 ODI matches. With Virat Kohli only playing ODI cricket for India, the prospect of adding 14 more centuries to his tally in such a limited window appears a daunting challenge, even for a batter of his extraordinary calibre.
As of now, only Sachin Tendulkar holds the record of charting 100 tons across all formats. In Kohli’s case, the right-handed batter has listed 30 hundreds in his 123-match Test career, one T20I ton in 117 innings and his remaining 55 centuries in ODI cricket.
In ODIs alone, the run-machine is already the format’s second most successful batter and the highest century-maker.
