Batting nice Sunil Gavaskar has talked up the probabilities of Virat Kohli emulating Sachin Tendulkar by reaching 100 worldwide lots of, backing the famous person batter to proceed even past the 2027 ODI World Cup. Gavaskar’s remarks got here after Kohli received the Participant of the Sequence award for his contribution to India’s 2–1 conquer South Africa in an ODI collection that concluded on Saturday in Visakhapatnam.
Talking to the host broadcaster after India clinched the third ODI by 9 wickets, Gavaskar marveled at Kohli’s reinvigorated type within the format, noting how the 36-year-old has reinvented his one-day sport by integrating components of T20 batting.
Kohli produced a fluent unbeaten 65 as India chased down 271 in simply 39.5 overs within the collection decider. India accomplished the duty with 9 wickets in hand, thanks largely to Yashasvi Jaiswal’s maiden ODI hundred and a brisk 75 from Rohit Sharma.
“Why not? Even when he performs for 3 extra years, he wants 16 lots of from right here,” Gavaskar stated.
Kohli completed the three-match ODI collection in opposition to South Africa with 302 runs, together with two centuries and a fifty. He took his worldwide hundred tally to 84, 16 fewer than Tendulkar’s all-time file.
For the primary time in his illustrious one-day profession, Kohli amassed greater than 300 runs in a three-match bilateral collection.
“The way in which he has been batting, he has scored two lots of in a three-match collection. Going ahead, even when he scores two extra in opposition to New Zealand in a three-match collection, he’ll attain 87. So the probabilities of him attending to 100 are huge, excellent. The way in which he has been batting, he’s having fun with himself,” Gavaskar added.
Having stepped away from Take a look at cricket earlier this yr, Kohli—now showing solely in ODIs on the highest stage—has acknowledged that he’s relishing his sport and batting with higher freedom.
‘KOHLI ENJOYED HIS TIME’
Gavaskar heaped reward on Kohli’s spotless knock, highlighting how the trendy maestro refused to concede even an inch to the opposition.
“The way in which he batted right now (Saturday), understanding the match was nearly in India’s pocket—he knew an excellent basis had been laid by the openers and that batters in good type had been to observe,” Gavaskar stated.
“So he loved himself within the center. Very not often have we seen this model of Virat Kohli—the T20 avatar—in ODI cricket. He performed his photographs from the second ball, and never one in all them was reckless. Can anybody inform me whether or not there was an inside-edge or an outside-edge in his innings?”
India are anticipated to play roughly 35 ODIs between now and the tip of the 2027 World Cup, assuming they attain the ultimate of the quadrennial occasion. Kohli would due to this fact want to attain a century nearly as soon as each two innings. to achieve the landmark of 100 worldwide lots of on this interval,
At 36, Kohli seems to be having fun with one other peak part in his ODI profession. He has produced 4 successive scores of fifty or extra, together with three centuries in his final 10 innings.
He completed 2025 with 651 runs in 13 matches at a median of 65.10, together with three lots of.
The star batter is anticipated to symbolize Delhi within the Vijay Hazare Trophy later this month earlier than returning for a three-match ODI collection in opposition to visiting New Zealand from 11 to 18 January.
“See, he has a month’s break earlier than the New Zealand ODIs. It stays to be seen what occurs to his type in these few days. If that break was not there, I’m certain he would rating two or three lots of within the collection,” Gavaskar stated.
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