There was a time when Virat Kohli chasing Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 international centuries would have sounded unrealistic. But after a stellar career, the Indian batter is sitting on 85 hundreds
and the possibility is no longer something that can simply be dismissed. Kohli’s latest hundred came against New Zealand in Indore in January 2026, taking his ODI tally to 54 and his overall international tally to 85. He has scored 30 Test centuries, 54 in ODIs and one in T20Is.
The significance of the number is obvious. Tendulkar finished his career with 100 international hundreds, a record that has stood alone for more than a decade. Kohli is now the closest anyone has come to challenging it. Among the active players, only the Delhi batter has a chance and is close to breaking the record.
But the important thing is that Kohli has already retired from T20Is and Tests and that means every remaining international century will have to come in ODIs. He therefore needs 15 more hundreds to reach 100. That makes the target far more difficult than it would have been earlier in his career. His ODI numbers suggest that he is still capable of producing remarkable consistency. Kohli has 14941 ODI runs from 314 matches at an average of 58.6 along with his record 54 centuries.
THE LAST TEST CENTURY OF VIRAT KOHLI IN TEST CRICKET. 🥹https://t.co/RLa7vEhdGp
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 12, 2025
The 2027 World Cup could become the biggest stage of going past 100 centuries
Kohli has already confirmed that he wants to play in the 2027 World Cup. Speaking earlier this year he made it clear that he remains committed to representing India and said that playing a World Cup for the country was something he wanted to continue doing. By the time the tournament arrives, Kohli will be 38. That makes the next year especially important. He does not simply have to keep scoring runs. He also has to remain fit, productive and valuable enough for India to keep building its ODI side around his experience. Reaching the milestone of crossing 100 centuries could come at the World Cup and that could also be his last chance.
There is also unfinished business at the World Cup. Kohli was part of India’s 2011 title-winning squad and has already played in four editions of the tournament. In 2023, he produced arguably his finest World Cup campaign, scoring 765 runs in 11 matches which is the highest aggregate by any batter in a single men’s World Cup edition. He also scored his 50th ODI hundred during the semi-final against New Zealand, moving past Tendulkar’s record of 49.
So what is actually left for Kohli?
The 100-century mark is the obvious individual target. A 2027 World Cup win would be the obvious team achievement. There is also the chance to push his ODI run tally even higher and strengthen a record that already places him among the greatest 50-over batters ever. Reaching 100 international centuries will not be easy. Fifteen hundreds is a huge distance for a 37-year-old batter who now plays only one international format. But Kohli has spent much of his career making difficult numbers look ordinary. Perhaps that is what makes the final phase of his career so fascinating. 100 international hundreds and helping India win another World Cup will be the things he will look to achieve in the next few years.
