At 37, Virat Kohli is in the final phase of a glorious ODI career. While the modern-day great is undeniably closer to the end of a storied journey, his appetite for runs shows no signs of fading. In his last
eight List A innings across domestic and international cricket, the Chase Master has piled up 584 runs at an average close to 100, striking three centuries and as many half-centuries.
Such form makes it easy to believe Kohli still has several years of cricket left in him. However, if he continues at the international level, the 2027 ODI World Cup is likely to be his swansong.
Before he eventually calls time on his career, Kohli has an outside chance of emulating – or even surpassing – his idol Sachin Tendulkar’s iconic tally of 100 international centuries. Currently on 84 hundreds across formats, Kohli needs 16 more to draw level. Having already retired from Tests and T20Is, that pursuit now rests solely on ODIs, starting with the New Zealand series on Sunday (January 11) and extending through to the 2027 World Cup – provided he remains a part of India’s plans.
South Africa fast-bowling legend Allan Donald believes Kohli is the one batter with the hunger to at least approach Tendulkar’s monumental records, though he remains uncertain whether Kohli will reach the three-figure mark.
“I said a few years ago in a conversation with Hashim Amla that if there’s one batter who could get close to Sachin, it would be Virat Kohli,” Donald told reporters on the sidelines of the SA20. “He (Amla) looked at me and said, ‘How can you say that?’ It’s just this guy’s hunger. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player with more hunger than Virat. I’ve got massive respect for him. I often talk about him in dressing-room chats – about being a champion trainer. No one trains as hard as him. He’s a machine.”
Donald also admitted he feels Kohli, like his close friend AB de Villiers, may have stepped away from Test cricket a little too early.
“I actually miss him in the Test arena,” Donald said. “I still think he’s like AB – he retired too early. But we’ll see him very soon in the white-ball arena with the World Cup.”
