Kohli can break Tendulkar’s ODI century record: Gavaskar
2 Nov 2013 4:06 AM IST
In the 112 ODI innings he has played so far, Kohli has scored 4919 runs with 17 centuries while Tendulkar in the same number of innings had scored 4001 runs with eight tons.
The rate at which the youngster is scoring centuries currently, Gavaskar said Kohli can break Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI hundreds. “Records are meant to be broken. While we know that some of Tendulkar’s records are well nigh impossible to be able to get like 200 Test matches, nobody can reach 51 Test hundreds. “But the manner in which Virat is batting, the record for (Tendulkar’s) 49 hundreds looks possible. Now Virat needs 32 more hundreds to go and the number of ODIs Indians play he can do it. This cricketing season itself, Virat can get to 20 or 22 hundreds,” Gavaskar said.
Asked if Kohli can take Tendulkar’s place in the Indian team after the senior batsman retires next month, Gavaskar said, “I think Virat has been simply outstanding. If you compare the statistics with what Sachin had achieved after 115 ODI games, you’ll find that Virat is well ahead. I think Sachin took around 80-odd ODIs to get his first hundred.”
He said Kohli was fortunate to have played alongside greats such as Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and V V S Laxman early in his career. India is blessed to have him.
The rate at which the youngster is scoring centuries currently, Gavaskar said Kohli can break Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI hundreds. “Records are meant to be broken. While we know that some of Tendulkar’s records are well nigh impossible to be able to get like 200 Test matches, nobody can reach 51 Test hundreds. “But the manner in which Virat is batting, the record for (Tendulkar’s) 49 hundreds looks possible. Now Virat needs 32 more hundreds to go and the number of ODIs Indians play he can do it. This cricketing season itself, Virat can get to 20 or 22 hundreds,” Gavaskar said.
Asked if Kohli can take Tendulkar’s place in the Indian team after the senior batsman retires next month, Gavaskar said, “I think Virat has been simply outstanding. If you compare the statistics with what Sachin had achieved after 115 ODI games, you’ll find that Virat is well ahead. I think Sachin took around 80-odd ODIs to get his first hundred.”
He said Kohli was fortunate to have played alongside greats such as Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and V V S Laxman early in his career. India is blessed to have him.
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