Brian Lara: Virat Kohli Faces Significant Challenge in Surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s 100 Century Record

Virat Kohli, the Indian cricket team’s batting star, had a remarkable performance in the Cricket World Cup. He achieved a historic feat by becoming the first player ever to score over 700 runs in a single edition of the tournament. In 11 matches, Kohli accumulated an impressive total of 765 runs, with an average of 95.62. Not only that, he also scored three centuries and six half-centuries. As a result of these outstanding performances, Kohli now stands second only to Sachin Tendulkar in terms of most international centuries, with 80 to his name compared to Tendulkar’s 100.

Despite his current fitness and form, West Indies legend Brian Lara believes that reaching 100 centuries will be a tremendous challenge for Kohli. Lara stated in an interview with Anandabazar Patrika, “How old is Kohli now? 35, right? He has 80 centuries but still needs 20 more. Even if he manages to score five centuries every year, it would take him four more years to equal Tendulkar’s record. By then, Kohli will be 39. It’s a tough job, a very tough job.”

Lara emphasized the difficulty of achieving such a milestone, saying, “No one can say with certainty. Those who claim otherwise are not using cricketing logic. Scoring 20 centuries seems like a long journey. Most cricketers can’t even achieve that in their entire careers. I won’t be adventurous and say Kohli will do it. Age doesn’t stop for anyone. Kohli will break many more records, but 100 centuries seems to be the most difficult one.”

Despite his reservations about reaching 100 centuries, Lara expressed his admiration for Kohli’s discipline and dedication, stating, “Only Kohli can come close. I’m a big fan of his discipline and dedication. The way he prepares for a match by giving it his all… how can you not be his fan? My best wishes are with him. I would be very happy if he could score 100 centuries like Tendulkar. Sachin was a dear friend, and as I said before, I’m a big fan of Kohli.”

In addition to discussing Kohli’s records and potential, there is also speculation surrounding the future of two other exceptional batters of this generation, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, in white-ball cricket. Both players have not featured in a T20 international since the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2022 and are not part of India’s plans for the upcoming South Africa assignment. Opinions are divided within the cricketing fraternity regarding their potential return to T20 cricket. Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes that a decision on their participation in the T20 World Cup 2024 should be made closer to the tournament, considering their form at that time.

Manjrekar expressed his thoughts on the matter, saying, “Who knows what’s in store in life? I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. I believe the approach should be extremely simple. We have played a lot of World Cups and haven’t been able to win them. We may be playing slightly different cricket in the final stages of World Cups. When something goes out of your hand, simplify it. Pick your team based on form close to the World Cup.”

Overall, the future paths of these talented cricketers remain uncertain, but their contributions to the sport have left a lasting impact.