India vs Sri Lanka: Virat Kohli will overtake Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI hundred tally, says Sanjay Manjrekar

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar said he has no doubt that Virat Kohli would be able to get past Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of 49 ODI hundreds.

But suggested that it might be difficult for the former captain to go past the batting maestro in terms of Test hundreds. Kohli brought up his 45th ODI hundred in the first of a 3-match series against Sri Lanka in Guwahati on Tuesday, January 10.

Virat Kohli got to his 45th ODI hundred in his 257th innings while Sachin Tendulkar had taken 424 innings before finishing his career with 49 ODI hundreds. Tendulkar hit 51 Test hundreds to become the first and only batter in the history of the sport to hit 100 international centuries. Kohli has 27 Test hundreds and a T20I hundred to go with 45 in ODIs.

It was also the 20th ODI hundred for Kohli at home as he equalled Sachin Tendulkar’s world record for most centuries at home in the 50-over format of the game. It was also the first time Kohli scored back-to-back hundreds in international cricket since 2019.

Kohli hit 113 from just 87 balls as India posted 373 for 7 in 50 overs in their first ODI of the World Cup year. Kohli is 4 hundreds short of emulating Tendulkar’s feat, which looked improbable until a few years ago.

Speaking to Star Sports, Sanjay Manjrekar said he is confident that Kohli will get to the major ODI landmark in 12-18 months and added that he hoped Kohli plays with the ambition to get closer to Tendulkar’s Test record as well.

“I have no doubt that he will overtake Sachin Tendulkar in one-day hundreds. The Test hundreds, that would be a big mountain to climb. In this format, he is an all-time great, not to say that he is not a Test match great. He just needs 4 hundreds to equal Tendulkar in ODIs whereas, in Tests, Tendulkar has 51 hundreds. I hope he carries that ambition and aspiration to get there. But 49, I am sure may be will happen in a year and a half,” Manjrekar said.

‘TWO SUCCESSIVE HUNDREDS GREAT SIGN’
Furthermore, Manjrekar said Kohli’s back-to-back ODI hundreds is a great sign for India in the World Cup year, adding that the passionate celebration after Kohli got to his 45th told the story.

Kohli punched the air in delight before he took off his helmet and acknowledged the applause from the Guwahati crowd that was up on its feet, celebrating the high-quality knock from the former skipper.

“See what’s happened in the last couple of years, we have been talking that Virat Kohli has been out of form. He has been getting the one big knock which has promoted celebrations and talks like ‘King is back’ and that Kohli has found his mojo. And then what happens is there would be another run of low scores, then another good innings would come.

“Today (on Tuesday), the passion was there, the smile was back when he was celebrating the hundred. I got the impression that he wanted this badly, for the form to stay with him, not just one innings and then getting out for 3-4 innings.

“This is two consecutive hundreds, which is a great sign. For the greats of Indian batting like Kohi and Tendulkar, hundreds came one after the other,” he added.