Ricky Ponting backs Virat Kohli to break Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI centuries record this World Cup | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Run-machine Virat Kohli, who played a superb 85-run knock in India’s ODI World Cup opening win against Australia in Chennai, missed out on a well deserved century.
With that, Kohli also missed a chance to take another step towards legendary Sachin Tendulkar‘s all-time record of 49 centuries in the 50-over format.
Australian great Ricky Ponting however feels that Kohil will equal Sachin’s record, if not surpass it, in the ongoing World Cup itself.
Kohli, so far has 47 ODI centuries and is 2 shy from equalling the Sachin’s all-time record.
“I think he will. I think he’ll definitely get two hundreds, whether he gets the three is another thing, ” Australia legend Ponting said on ICC Review podcast.
Kohli has scored two hundreds in the previous editions of the ODI World Cups.
“The venues, the wickets and the grounds in India are just so conducive to scoring, making big runs. Who knows with him, it’s probably his last World Cup as well. If he gets that mindset, and we saw that he’s in pretty good touch, and we know with him he’s always hungry. He’s a winner, he wants success for himself and for his team. There is every chance at the end of this World Cup he could be equal with, if not breaking Sachin’s record, which is remarkable within itself,” Ponting added.
Kohli, who had a lean patch without an ODI century between August 2019 and December 2022, has added 4 four hundreds in 15 innings since then.
“Forty-nine one-day international hundreds is amazing. But he deserves that, he works hard,” Ponting said.

“You watch him even in the field, game one, he just looks ultra fit, is up for the contest every ball whether it’s in the field or with these batting hands. So I’d never write him off.”
In the 282 matches Kohli has played in the 50-over format, the 34-year-old has amassed 13168 runs at an average of over 57.