Former India opener Aakash Chopra just dropped a bombshell prediction: Virat Kohli is gonna finish his international career with 98 centuries. That’s right, 98. It’s a number that immediately sparked chatter across the cricket world, because if Chopra is right, it means Kohli falls short of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s mind-boggling record of 100 international hundreds.
The Chase For 100: Why Kohli’s Road Looks Tough
The math on this is intense. Kohli is currently sitting at 86 international centuries, a phenomenal achievement by any measure. But to hit Tendulkar’s record of 100, he needs to crank out another 15 centuries. The thing is, Kohli only plays ODI matches now. That’s a huge shift in his playing schedule, and it changes the landscape for this chase. Tendulkar, for comparison, played 664 international matches between 1989 and 2013, racking up 51 centuries in 200 Tests and 49 in 463 ODIs. Kohli’s 86 centuries break down to 55 in ODIs, 30 in Tests, and just one in T20Is. With Tests and T20Is off his plate, adding 15 more ODI centuries before retirement is a massive hurdle. You gotta wonder if that’s exactly what Chopra was thinking when he made that call in a Cricinfo video.
Beyond Kohli: India’s Other Big Question Marks
It’s not just Kohli’s century count that’s got people talking. Chopra also weighed in on other key areas for the Indian squad. When asked about India’s top white-ball fast bowler, excluding the automatic pick Jasprit Bumrah, he pointed to Arshdeep Singh. Arshdeep’s T20I numbers are wild, he’s India’s leading wicket-taker in that format with 140 wickets from 94 matches. But it’s a different story in ODIs, where he’s only played 18 matches since his debut in November 2022. He’s not even a guaranteed selection for the 2027 ODI World Cup team. Then there’s the biggest question mark for the ODI squad: “What happens if Hardik is unfit?” Hardik Pandya is a critical piece of India’s white-ball setup, but he hasn’t hit the field in competitive cricket since the IPL 2026 wrapped up. His last appearance for India was all the way back on March 8, in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 final against New Zealand in Ahmedabad.
India has already locked up their ongoing series against West Indies, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead. They’ll face off one last time for the third and final ODI tomorrow at New Chandigarh Stadium. You know they’ll want to finish strong, but with these kinds of predictions and questions swirling, it adds an extra layer of intrigue to every match.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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