Much of the focus lately has been on whether Joe Root can go past Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of runs in Test cricket. However, come September 27 (Sunday), the talk of Virat Kohli going past the great man’s One-Day International (ODI) record was rekindled.
Will he? Won’t he? Could he?
Taking it up a notch
It looked as though Kohli never missed a beat. Playing his first match for India after two months, Kohli smashed an unbeaten 139 off just 88 balls against the West Indies, and just when one thought he could not take his game up a notch, he did just that. That’s not something that transpired overnight, but took some work behind the scenes for him to be able to execute it at the highest level.
“I’ve got a challenge at this stage of my career to kind of up the ante and play a gear or two higher, and yeah, that was exciting for me to work on,” he said after scoring his 55th ODI century.
“Again, it excites you when you have to unlock a new version at this stage of your career, which will eventually help any team that you play for, be it playing for India or in the IPL. It’s really helped me a lot to play with a free mind, and I think that’s what’s working for me.”
All eyes on 2027 World Cup
It is clear that it is going to be Kohli’s last dance for India. The 2027 World Cup could surely be his final outing for India. For someone who has done and won it all in his international career, it could be easy for him to just tail off a bit. That is not the case with Kohli, who has unlocked a new version of himself, and there is no signs of stopping him.
Now to the big question: Can he beat Tendulkar’s ODI record?
While he already has the most centuries in ODIs, he is still quite far off from Tendulkar’s run tally. To be precise, Kohli is 3,346 runs behind Tendulkar, and also 14 centuries behind Tendulkar’s 100 international tons.
India have as many as 13 ODIs lined up till January 2027. Plus, there could be a lot more in the lead-up to the World Cup, which is tentatively scheduled to begin on October 4, 2027, where India will play at least five matches, if not more.
If we assume Kohli will get a chance to bat at least 25 times till the end of the World Cup, he will have to score at an average of over 133 to go past Tendulkar. While he might get the 14 hundreds to equal or even 15 to break the centuries record, he may not be able to break the world record for most runs.
Whether he does any of those certainly does not define his legacy.
A legacy unmatched
It has always been about his tenacity and his will to compete and win across formats. As captain, he is one of India’s finest, perhaps the best-ever in Test cricket. As a batter, he is without a doubt among the top three of his generation.
From winning the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia in 2008 to completing his set with the T20 World Cup in 2024, Kohli has come a long way. As someone who has never shied away from a challenge, he will forever be remembered as someone plenty of generations will look up to and draw inspiration.
One does not score 30,000 international runs without putting in the effort, regardless of how gifted you are. Kohli has always been vocal about fitness.
“I think just the understanding of the game firstly, also at the stage that I’m at, you know, just keeping myself physically very fit, because the game’s more or less in the mind,” Kohli said.
“I’ve never been a guy who practiced a lot, even when I was playing all three formats, as you know. So it’s just for me about staying mentally fresh, staying in the present moment, and just expressing myself really out there to play in a certain way, get used to this template more often.”
Better than ever?
The clarity in his thought and the clarity he has about his game has perhaps never been better, making him a scary proposition.
Not just him, but he demanded that his team have a certain level of fitness to play for the country. He always maintained that high level of fitness throughout his career, which has seen him play over 550 matches, including 123 Tests for India.
Kohli can retire tomorrow, and his records will remain untouched for years. But that’s not what it is about. That’s never been the reason he has continued to play till he is 37.
He has turned his obsession now towards one goal, and that is to help India win another World Cup. If along the way, he breaks records, so be it. But was that, or will it ever be, his primary focus? That’s what makes him a daunting figure for any bowler in the world.
The one thing that has not changed for India across two generations is hope. As long as Tendulkar was out there, India always had a chance of victory. That burden has since passed on to Kohli, and it is safe to say he has carried the weight of expectations remarkably well. Now, for one final push.
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