Perth: Indian cricket icon Virat Kohli is on the verge of making history as he prepares to return to international action after more than seven months. The 36-year-old will feature in the first ODI against Australia in Perth on Sunday — his first appearance for India since announcing retirement from Test cricket earlier this year.
Kohli, now a one-format player after stepping away from T20Is and Tests, is eyeing a monumental record in the India vs Australia 2025 ODI series. The star batter needs just one more century to surpass Sachin Tendulkar and become the player with the most hundreds in a single format — a milestone never achieved in the 148-year history of international cricket.
At present, Kohli and Tendulkar are tied with 51 centuries each, though Tendulkar’s tally came in Test cricket. Kohli’s 51 hundreds have all come in ODIs, making him the only active player close to rewriting cricket’s record books.
Across all formats, Tendulkar still holds the record for most international centuries (100) — 51 in Tests and 49 in ODIs — while Kohli sits second with 82 international tons (51 in ODIs, 30 in Tests, and 1 in T20Is).
Kohli’s form against Australia and in Australian conditions has been remarkable. In 29 ODIs in Australia, he has scored 1,327 runs at an average of 51.03 and a strike rate over 89, including five centuries and six fifties, with a top score of 133 not out.
His recent performances against the Aussies underline his consistency — his last five ODI innings against them read 54, 56, 85, 54, and 84. He also holds the record for the most centuries by a visiting player in Australia (17 across formats).
Additionally, Kohli has the chance to equal Rohit Sharma’s record for most ODI hundreds against Australia in Australia. Rohit currently leads with four, while Kohli stands at three.
As India take on Australia in the much-anticipated series, all eyes will be on Virat Kohli — as he aims to create history once again and possibly break one of cricket’s longest-standing world records.
