On December 3, Virat Kohli scored his 84th international century against South Africa in the second ODI of the three-match series. It was the 53rd century for the former Indian captain. ODI is the only format in which Kohli currently plays, and he is 16 centuries from reaching the 100-mark.
Kohli retired from T20 internationals after India lifted the T20 World Cup in 2024. He finished with 4188 runs in 125 matches at an average of 48.69 and a strike rate of 137.04. He hit one century in the shortest format, which came against Afghanistan in the 2022 Asia Cup.
Kohli’s Test career came to an abrupt end on May 12 this year as he took to social media to make the announcement. His decision came just five days after Rohit Sharma announced he would step away from this format.
Kohli featured in 123 Test matches for India and scored 9230 runs at an average of 46.85. He hit 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries in Test matches. He made seven double-centuries in Test cricket, which is the most by an Indian batter. As the captain of the side, Kohli hit six double-centuries, a feat he achieved in 2017 and thus became the captain with the most double-centuries.
Will Virat Kohli Make A Comeback To Test Cricket?
The simple answer to this question as of now is a big “NO”. There were several rumours that BCCI had asked Kohli to reverse his Test retirement. The Indian Test team has suffered two home whitewashes in the last 1.5 years, and if true, this move by the BCCI seemed desperate. However, both sides denied these claims.
First, BCCI’s secretary Devajit Saikia clearly said that the board has not contacted Kohli about returning to Test cricket. “What’s being said about Virat Kohli is just a rumour. There has been no conversation with Kohli about this. Do not give weight to rumours. Nothing of that sort has happened,” Saikia said in a statement to AajTak.
The denial came even before Kohli spoke about it. After winning the Player of the Match award in Ranchi, Kohli made it clear that he now plays only one format for India. “That’s how it’s always going to be. I’m just playing one form of the game.”
Will Virat Kohli Be Able To Score 100 Centuries?
Kohli is 16 centuries away from reaching 100. India will play one more ODI against South Africa on December 6, and it will be the Indian team’s last ODI of the year. As per the current Future Tour Programs, the Indian team might play 16 ODI matches in 2026.
In 2027, India will play at least 9 to 12 bilateral ODI matches and feature in the Asia Cup as well. The 2027 edition will be played in the ODI format. In total, India might play 45 ODIs leading up to the 2027 World Cup.
Kohli has scored 53 centuries in 295 innings in ODIs, and his current conversion rate is 5.57, meaning he scores a century every 5.57 innings. Considering his current conversion rate, Kohli will need at least 89 innings to score the remaining 16 centuries.
Hence, as per the current scenario, it is difficult for Kohli to reach the 100-century mark in the next 45 ODI games. Since 2023, Kohli has made 9 centuries in 39 innings, and his conversion rate has been 4.33. Even if we consider this number, the number of matches to reach the 100-century mark is 69.
In order for him to reach 100 centuries in the next 45 innings, he will have to make a century in every 2.8 innings. It is something that has not been done in cricket’s history. But, someone reaching the 100-century mark has also been done only once.
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