Former Indian opener believes ace batter Virat Kohli should continue to play in ODI cricket as long as his body permits him to. These remarks were made after Kohli scored his 85th century against New Zealand in Indore.
India might have lost the series to New Zealand, but undoubtedly, the Indian fans were left cheered by the spectacular hand from the legendary cricketer Virat Kohli. Virat, missing out barely on a hundred in Vadodara, made the Indian fans regret it; however, he bounced back with an astonishing century in the series decider.
This marked the 29th century for the Indian batter in a run chase in an ODI game; while batting first, he amassed 26 more centuries. However, he could not prevent India from losing the bilateral series.
“Kohli will go beyond 100 centuries,” a former cricketer’s massive statement after the Indore match
Former Indian opener Sadagoppan Ramesh has reflected on the commanding form of Virat Kohli, as he remarked that he should continue to play the format as long as his body permits him to.
Chasing a mammoth total of 338 for victory in the series, the champion batter produced another knock for ages in India’s chase. He is often known as the chasemaster, and as such, he has had an impact whenever he was in pursuit of a record of 100 centuries.
“Virat Kohli scoring a brilliant 85th century again raised the question about when he will reach 100 centuries. However, instead of focusing on that, he should be told to play until he remains fit. By doing that, Kohli will not only eclipse 100 centuries but go well beyond that,” said Ramesh on his YouTube channel.
“Virat Kohli was the only one who could have breathed life into the contest” – Sadagoppan Ramesh
The former Indian opener hailed the Indian legend for keeping up India’s hopes alive for the nearly impossible run chase in Indore. India had also not lost an ODI match in Indore before this game.
When the hosts struggled at 71/4, with all their top-order batters back in the hut, Kohli, alongside the lower-order bowling all-rounders, built on partnerships and was dismissed as the 9th wicket went down with India just 46 runs away from victory.
“Once India were chasing such a massive target, Virat Kohli was the only one who could have breathed life into the contest. He was on fire from the get-go once again. Everyone regretted Kohli barely missing out on a century in the first ODI on 93, but he made up for that with a memorable century last night,” said Ramesh (via the aforementioned source).
Kohli is nearing the 100-centuries mark in international cricket
Currently, Virat Kohli has amassed 28,215 runs in international cricket after having represented India across all formats of the game. He is only behind the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, who had amassed 34,357 runs in his international career.
Virat Kohli scored another century in the Indore match, as it marked the 54th century of his ODI career. This marked an addition to a breathtaking record in his List A career, where he remains the highest centurion.
He is also the second-highest centurion in international cricket and has amassed 85 centuries in his international career. He is only behind the great Sachin Tendulkar, who had 100 centuries in his career.
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