Former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri believes Virat Kohli’s demanding approach to preparation and physical performance sets him up to push for the iconic Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 tons. Riding high on confidence, Kohli surpassed the Indian legend to become the first player to have 50 ODI centuries. With his knock of 117, Kohli has struck 80 centuries in international cricket, still twenty behind Sachin’s tally of 100 tons.
While speaking in the ICC Review, Shastri feels that ruling out Kohli’s chances of matching Sachin’s elusive record is still achievable.
“Who would have thought when Sachin Tendulkar got 100 hundreds that anyone would come close, and he’s got 80, 80 international hundreds, 50 of them in the one-day game, which makes him the highest? Unreal. Nothing’s impossible because such players, when they start reeling off hundreds, then score them pretty quickly. In his next 10 innings, you might see another five hundred. You have three formats of the game, and he’s part of all those formats. To think that he still has three or four years of cricket ahead of him is simply mind-boggling,” Shastri said.
He went on to praise Kohli’s calmness as well as his composure, which helps him stay fit and ready before a game. His calmness was on display during India’s victory over New Zealand. He almost lost his wicket early in the innings but was saved by a gentle touch from his bat. From that point, he didn’t look back and went on to score a record-breaking 117 to guide the Men in Blue towards victory.
“I think his composure—just his body language, his composure, his calmness in the crease—was telling. I have seen him come out in previous World Cups, where he’s like a cat on a hot tin roof. He wants to get on with it straight away. None of that sort is here. He’s taken his time, marked his guard, soaked up the pressure, given himself time, and understood his role of batting deep in the innings.
