Virat Kohli has created history, he’s touched the magical mark of 50 ODI centuries to surpass the great Sachin Tendulkar’s tally for most ODI hundreds today. With his 49th century coming against South Africa in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, Kohli equalled the great man and today, surpassed him with a sublime 117 against New Zealand in the semi-finals.
Here is a look at Kohli’s stunning list of centuries right from his debut ton vs Sri Lanka in 2009 at the Eden Gardens.
1. 107 vs Sri Lanka, Eden Gardens – 2009
The first of many – and fittingly it was in the chase that Virat Kohli got his first ODI hundred – 107 off 114 balls chasing 216 to win. In the company of Gautam Gambhir (150*) the then Young Turk got to the milestone in his 14th ODI innings. He combined for a 224-run stand for the third wicket with his senior Delhi teammate. Gambhir will hand over his Player of the Match award to Kohli later during the post-match presentation.
2. 102* vs Bangladesh, Mirpur – 2010
A mature knock again in chase, Kohli drove and cut with aplomb hitting 11 boundaries during his 95-run stay to take India home in a tricky chase of 248.
3. 118 vs Australia, Visakhapatnam – 2010
Another one in a chase, Kohli showed tremendous grit to shepherd a stiff chase, batting cramps. He had to play with a runner and buoyed by Suresh Raina’s speedy 71 –off 47 helped India to victory.
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4. 105 vs New Zealand, Guwahati – 2010
His first century batting first, Kohli, under the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir – his first time – showed his class and manufactured classical ODI innings. He hit only 10 boundaries in the century knock and put on crucial stands with Gambhir, Yuvraj and Yusuf Pathan to set up a good total for India. R Ashwin later helped India to a comfortable win.
5. 100*vs Bangladesh, Mirpur
Kohli’s first 50-over World Cup century. He came into bat at 155/2 in 23.2 overs, with Virender Sehwag in ominous touch. He played second fiddle as Sehwag mauled Bangladesh bowlers en route to 175 off 140 balls. Kohli provided the finishing touches with some silken drives on a slow pitch. This was India’s first match of the successful tournament.
6. 107 vs England, Cardiff – 2011
Kohli’s first century outside of Asia came in Rahul’s last ODI appearance, and fittingly, India’s long-time No.3 and the eventual No.3 got together for one last time stitching together a stand of 170 runs for the fourth wicket. Dravid signed off with 69 off 79, and India went on to lose as Jonny Bairstow’s 21-ball 41 on debut helped England to a revised target. First loss for India in a game where Kohli scored a century
7. 112* vs England, Delhi – 2011
Kohli’s first ODI century at his home ground, as he along with Delhi mate Gautam Gambhir made short work of England’s total of 237. After a steady start, he pulled away after reaching his fifty and helped India canter home with 14 overs remaining.
8. 117 vs West Indies, Visakhapatnam – 2011
The chase master anchored another chase with a methodical century and this time he had the company of young Rohit Sharma coming to bat at No.5. With Kohli at No.4, the duo pulled India out of the trenches at 84/3, chasing 270 to win and added 163 runs. Rohit would remain unbeaten on 90.
9. 133* vs Sri Lanka, Hobart – 2012
An inning that announced Kohli was no ordinary player. A player destined to greatest Virat Kohli ran amok scripting probably his best ODI century to date. An unbeaten 133 off just 86 balls with 16 fours and two sixes. Needing to chase down 321 in 40 overs to stay alive in the CB series featuring Sri Lanka and Australia, Kohli put on display what the world will witness again and again – imperious stroke play and managing the chase with surgical precision. As said, before- is his best knock in ODIs to date, you want to debate?
10. 108 vs Sri Lanka, Mirpur- 2012
Kohli’s first Asia Cup hundred was the classic Kohli template – the India template – outbat the opposition and he had the company of Gautam Gambhir (100), taking India to 304/3 in a tough Mirpur wicket. India would go on to win the game by 50 runs.
11. 183 vs Pakistan, Mirpur- 2012
Virat Kohli’s highest score in ODIs to date came against Pakistan in the Asia Cup in a game that pretty much cemented the future India captain as the chase master. A target of 330 at that time would have been India’s highest successful run chase and Kohli led from the front with e methodical takedown of a rather strong Pakistan attack. Laced with 22 fours and one six, Kohli made short work of the target and in the company of Sachin Tendulkar (52) and Rohit Sharma (68) cantered home in 47.5 overs.
12. 106 vs Sri Lanka, Hambantota – 2012
Batting first, Kohli laid the foundation with Sehwag (96) for a score of 314. 45-ball 50 from Suresh Raina helped. India were playing an ODI after 5 months, but there was no rustiness as Kohli registered this third successive ton against the Lankans and his third century in his last five innings. By this time Kohli had cemented his place as the World’s top batter.
13. 128*vs Sri Lanka, Colombo (RPS) – 2012
In the 4th ODI of the same series, Kohli once again pounded the SL bowlers en route to another facile century studded with 12 fours and one six. After keeping SL to a below-par 251/8, with Manoj Tiwary claiming four wickets, Kohli combined with Raina (58) to take India home with seven overs remaining.
14. 102 vs West Indies, Port of Spain- 2013
Kohli’s next century came after a game of 17 ODIs. This was a new-looking team in India. After the highs of the Champions Trophy, the Indian team had faltered vs SL. With Rohit and Dhawan up top and Kohli at three, this was the series that kickstarted another dominant era for team India in the format. Kohli blistered his way to 82-ball 102 with Dhawan adding 69 off 77. India won the match by 102 runs via D/L Method.
15. 115 vs Zimbabwe, Harare- 2013
Another Kohli ton in a chase, India started their tour of Zimbabwe with a win. Chasing 229 to win Kohli got the company of Ambati Rayudu (63). Kohli made 115 off 108 balls with 13 fours and one six.
16. 100* vs Australia, Jaipur – 2013
A home series which was monumental at many levels. In the 2nd ODI in Jaipur, after Australia had amassed 359, India were off to a fantastic start to a record run-chase with Rohit (141) and Dhawan (95) going hammer and tongs. When Dhawan fell at 176. Kohli had to maintain the momentum. He did and went one step ahead and registered the fastest ODI century for India – a record which still stands. He made a mockery of the 360 target blitzing his way to a 52-ball 100 not out with the help of eight fours and seven sixes. India set a new record for the highest successful run chase for the team with nine wickets in hand and 39 balls to spare!
17. 115* vs Australia, Nagpur- 2013
There was no stopping Virat Kohli in this series and after Australia amassed another big score of 350, the top three of Rohit, Dhawan and Kohli once again massacred the Aussies bowling in Nagpur. Rohit made 89-ball 79, Dhawan 102-ball 100 and Kohli remained unbeaten on 115 off just 66 balls, striking at 174.24. He hit 18 fours and one six as India achieved the target with six wickets in hand and three balls to spare. This was Kohli’s 11th century in 64 chase.
18. 123 vs New Zealand, Napier, 2014
When everybody else fell prey to the fiery pace of New Zealand’s four-pronged pace attack, only Kohli stood stall among the ruins crafting probably his toughest century – 123 off 111 balls with 11 fours and two sixes. India eventually went on to lose the game by 24 runs. After Kohli’s 123, the next best Indian score was Ms Dhoni’s 40.
19. 136 vs Bangladesh, Fatullah – 2014
Bangladesh, Another Asia Cup, another run chase and another Kohli hundred. His 19th was as facile as it could get. Chasing 280 to win, India lost Rohit and Dhawan was a moderate start. Kohli though picked things up with Ajinkya Rahane (73), hitting 22 fours and two sixs en route to 136 off 122 to lead India to another victory. This was Virat Kohli’s first century as a captain of the Indian team in ODIs.
20. 127 vs West Indies, Dharamsala – 2014
In auto-pilot mode on the bouncy track of Dharamsala, Kohli notched up his 20th ODI ton scoring 127 off 114 balls with 13 fours and three sixes. India went on to win the game by 59 runs.
21. 139* vs Sri Lanka, Ranchi- 2014
With the team tottering at 14/2, chasing 287 to win, Virat Kohli expertly picked apart the SL bowling attack in tandem with Rayudu 59 and then SL made a comeback with a flurry of wickets, Kohli ensured he kept India ahead in the chase with some sublime ground shots. He anchored the chase with an unbeaten 139 off 126 balls with 12 fours and three sixes to help India with a three-wicket win. This was Kohli’s 14 ton in chase, 13 off which had resulted in an Indian win.
22. 107 vs Pakistan, Adelaide- 2015
World Cup and Kohli hit a ton against Pakistan. Batting first Kohli’s 107 ensured India posted a very competitive 300/7 on the board. Shikhar Dhawan contributed with 73, and Raina with 74. Kohli hit only eight fours during his knock, running like a machine to score the other 69 runs. India beat Pakistan by 76 runs to open their World Cup 2015 account with a win.
23. 138 vs South Africa, Chennai- 2015
Another century with fantastic technique, Kohli marshalled the Indian innings with great incisiveness helping India to 299/8 on a tough Chennai track, before Indian spinners buried the Porteas. The fact that before Kohli got going, SA had India on the ropes at 35/2 and then when Kohli got out, they scalped 4 for 29 talks volumes about how Kohli was playing at an altogether different level on the difficult track than any batter from either side. India won by 35 runs.
24. 117 vs Australia, Melbourne- 2016
Another shining example of Kohli’s supreme fitness as only 40 off his 117 were scored from boundaries. He ran like hell in a 119-run stand with Dhawan and a 109-run with Rahane. He ended with a run-a-ball 117, but India’s total of 295/6 was trumped by Glenn Maxwell’s belligerent 83-ball 96.
25. 106 vs Australia, Canberra – 2016
Next match in Canberra, Kohli’s 106 and Dhawan’s 126 threatened Australia’s 348/8 for a while, but a lower-order collapse meant Kohli and Dhawan’s innings went in vain, as India succumbed to a 25-run defeat. A rare defeat for India in a run chase in which Kohli scored a ton.
26. 154* vs New Zealand, Mohali – 2016
With another sublime hundred in a run chase, Kohli notched up his second-highest score in ODIs and combined with MS Dhoni (80), who prompted himself at No.4, to hunt down a par target of 286 on a batting paradise at Mohali.
27. 122 vs England Pune – 2017
Down and out at 63/4 Virat Kohli combined with Kedar Jadhav (120) – the eventual Player of the Match – to register India’s second-highest successful run chase ever – 351. England showed glimpses of their attacking mindset – which would go on to fetch them the 2019 World Cup – and they ransacked 350/7 on a placid Pune track. And when the England pacers had India on the mat early, Kohli put his foot down. This was Kohli’s first match as the full-time captain of the Indian team and even though he was out with victory 88 still needed, Jadhav’s 65-ball hundred ensured that Kohli had a win to start his full-time captaincy tenure.
28. 111*vs West Indies, Kingston- 2017
Kohli’s 28th came in Kingston in another facile chase after the pacers had demolished the Windies, restricting them to 205/9. Kohli led the charge with a mature 111* off 115 with 12 fours and two sixes and alongside Dinesh Karthik (50) ensured an Indian win with over 13 overs to spare and eight wickets in hand.
29. 131 vs Lanka, Colombo (RPS)- 2017
On a hard, flat Premadasa track Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli blitzed their way to a 219 in 165 balls and with Rohit, recently coming off the ridiculous 264 against the same opponents, it looked like records books will be rewritten again. But Kohli got out in the 30th over; YES! 30th, when he was on 131 to Malinga –handling the SL legend his 300th ODI wicket. Rohit ended with 104 off 88 as India handed SL their worst defeat at home then – by 168 runs. India had scored 375/5.
30. 110* vs Sri Lanka, Colombo (RPS) – 2017
Kohli’s 30th ODI ton – equalling Ricky Ponting’s tally for the list of 2nd highest century maker in ODIs – fittingly came in a chase. Along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s 5-for, India ensured that they handed SL their first home ODI series whitewash as well.
31. 121 vs New Zealand, Wankhede – 2017
Kohli surpassed Ponting’s tally of 30 centuries in his 200th ODI. This was an innings that Kohli led from the front, as a lone ranger to build the Indian total. After Kohli’s 121, the next best was Karthik’s 37 as India huffed and puffed to 280/8. In contrast, the Kiwis came out all guns blazing and even contributions from the batters meant Kohli’s milestone of centuries and matches took a back seat as India lost by six wickets.
32. 113 v New Zealand, Kanpur- 2017
In the third ODI of the series, India made amends as Kohli’s 113 off 106 was only a support act to Rohit Sharma’s 147 off 138. A total of 337 proved a little too much for NZ to overcome, but they did come close finishing at 331/7. With 263 runs in the series, Kohli was adjudged the Player of the Series. The win ensured this was India’s 11th straight bilateral series win.
33. 112 vs South Africa, Durban – 2018
In a run-chase Kohli’s class stood apart. After SA posted a competitive 269/8, Kohli stamped his authority against the new ball bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Morne Morkel, before retrieving to his risk–management approach in the chase and when he saw the opening, upped the ante in tandem with Ajinkya Rahane to take India to a memorable win.
34. 160* vs South Africa, Cape Town – 2018
In the same series, Kohli came up with a gun innings scoring 160 off 159 balls. He batted for 49 overs after India lost Rohit in the first over. He got Dhawan’s company who scored 76 and that partnership of 140 runs was the bedrock for India’s 124-run win, fast-tracked by 8 wickets between Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. In this innings, Kohli’s runs were more than half of team India and he played more than half of the deliveries as well.
35. 129* vs South Africa, Centurion – 2018
After Indian bowlers stifled South Africa on a batting track to restrict the home team to just 204, it was a mere formality for Kohli to shepherd another chase and he did that well, again scoring more than half of his team’s total. India won the series 5-1 and Kohli ended with 558 runs in the series, the most by a batsman in a bilateral series.
36. 140 vs West Indies, Guwahati – 2018
The first of Kohli’s three consecutive centuries in the series came in Guwahati on a flat track, and surprise, surprise – in a chase. Chasing 322/8, Rohit Sharma was the star of the match with an uneaten 152 off 117, but Dhawan’s early loss meant Kohli found himself in the middle as early as the 3rd over. The Rohit-Kohli partnership then yielded 246 runs in just 30 overs to erase the Windies bowlers out of the equation. Kohli’s 140 came off 107 balls with 21 fours and two sixes.
37. 157* vs West Indies, Visakhapatnam – 2018
At Vizag, Virat Kohli single-handedly took India to 321/6 with another big score of 157* off just 129 balls – once again scoring nearly half of the team’s run laced with 13 fours and four sixes. The most noteworthy part of his innings was his late accelerations – scoring his last 48 runs off just 17 balls. He also breached the 10,000-run mark in ODIS during this innings. But the Windies came up with a stellar performance to tie the game aided by heavy due that hampered the Indian bowlers. This remains the only Kohli ton that did not contribute to an Indian win, neither did India lose! That’s one for the quirky stat cupboard, innit?
38. 107 vs West Indies, Pune- 2018
Kohli’s third consecutive in the the series unfortunately did not result in a win as he was let down by his batters in a tough run chase. After Kohli’s 107, the next-best score for an Indian was 35 from Dhawan. Till the time Kohli was in the middle, India’s chances of a win were high, but when Kohli departed in the 41st over after batting for 119 balls, the Windies folded the rest of the batting order in no time.
39. 104 vs Australia, Adelaide – 2019
Kohli started off the World Cup year with a bang scoring a brilliant century in the chase trumping Shaun Marsh’s 131. Kohli set up the chase with Rohit and Rayudu hitting only five fours and two sixes during his 113-ball knock and it required the finishing touches of MS Dhoni and breezy cameo from Karthik to help India win.
40. 116 vs Australia, Nagpur – 2019
On a slow, dry Nagpur track – Virat Kohli’s 116 was the difference between India’s win and a loss. India managed 250 with Vijay Shankar’s 46 being the next best score. Marcus Stoinis’ 52 was the second-best from either side. This was India’s 500th ODI victory, and Kohli played a pivotal role.
41. 123 vs Australia, Ranchi- 2019
In the following game, once again Virat Kohli was fighting a lone battle. Kohli scored 123 off India’s first 219 runs on a track they kept getting slow. He had resurrected the innings from 27/3 with MS Dhoni. But was soon running out of partners and when he fell with victory over 100 runs away, the game was done and dusted. Kohli was at his imperious best during his 95-ball knock consisting of 16 fours and a six.
42. 120 vs West Indies, Port of Spain – 2019
After going hundred-less in the 2019 World Cup, Kohli was back in business in the Caribbean with his 42nd ODI ton, leading the charge with 120 off 125 balls to set up an easy win for India.
43. 114* vs West Indies, Port of Spain – 2019
Kohli followed his 42nd ton, with his 43rd in the very next match hitting an unbeaten 114 off 99 balls with 14 fours. Kohli got together with Shreyas Iyer to masterfully guide the chase in a run-curtailed fixture.
44. 113 vs Bangladesh, Chattogram – 2022
It took Kohli 25 innings to move from 43rd ton to 44. 3 years! Although half of that time was consumed by COVID restrictions, this was the longest spell King Kohli had gone without registering a triple-figure mark. It will be a game which will be remembered for Ishan Kishan’s 210, but Kohli himself helped to some much-needed runs with 113 off 91 balls as India racked up 409/8.
45. 113 vs Sri Lanka, Guwahati – 2023
Kohli’s 45th came in a run feast in Guwahati where Rohit (83) and Shubman Gill (70) set up the platform and Kohli upped the ante with 113 off 87 (11×4) as India posted 373/7. Dasun Shanaka’s 88-ball 108* narrowed the SL margin of defeat to 67 runs.
46. 166* vs Sri Lanka, Thiruvananthapuram – 2023
A domineering performance where the King and the Prince got together. Gill’s 116 was sublime at its best, while Kohli’s 160 of 110 was in a league of his own. For a major part of his innings, Kohli followed his set template of batting, but come to the death overs, he revved up and unearthed the rocket fuel engine. He hit eight sixes in the innings, most for him in an innings – all coming after the 40th over, ending with an insane strike-rate of 15090. Adding more to the dominance, Indian bowlers packed off the Lankans for just 73 runs, inflicting a massive 317-run defeat.
47. 122* vs Pakistan, Colombo (RPS) – 2023
The lead-up to the 2023 World Cup was set rolling with the Asia Cup and Kohli chimed in with another facile knock of 122 off 94 balls and added 233 runs with KL Rahul (111*) to set up India for a big win.
48. 103* vs Bangladesh, Pune- 2023
Another World Cup century, another one against Bangladesh, and another one in chase. The chase master was at his best after Rohit and Gill set the platform for a 257-run chase. Kohli picked it up in the middle overs and anchored the chase with 103 off 97 with six fours and four sixes and took India home with more than eight overs to spare.
49. vs South Africa, Eden Gardens – 2023
Virat Kohli’s tryst with ODI centuries came a full circle as he equalled Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of 49 at the same venue as his first ODI century – the Eden Gardens – and that too on his birthday. And it was one of his toughest ODI hundreds. On a pitch that assisted spinners, Virat Kohli had to bide his time and play out a very tough bowling spell from left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj to draft a fantastic century that came off 119 balls with the help of 10 fours.
50. vs New Zealand, Wankhede Stadium – 2023
November 15, 2023. A day that will be etched in cricket folklore. Kohli touched the magical number of 50 ODI centuries with Tendulkar watching from the stands. That it happened on the day Tendulkar made his international debut was just another stunning coincidence. He got to the milestone with a quick couple and made 117 off 113 before departing.
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