IND v AUS 2023: “He can score at least 50 more,” Harbhajan expects Kohli to break Tendulkar’s 100 international tons record

Virat Kohli now has 75 international centuries to his name.

Virat Kohli | GettyStar India batter Virat Kohli ended his much-talked-about century drought in the longest format on Day 4 of the fourth Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test against Australia in Ahmedabad.

Kohli, who hasn’t hit a Test ton since November 2019, scored 186 to help the hosts take a crucial first-innings lead of 91 runs.

It was the 28th hundred of Virat’s Test career and his 75th in international cricket, becoming only the second batter in the history of the game to reach the mark after the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.

Once touted to break Tendulkar’s 100 international tons record, Kohli endured an extended lean patch over the last three years. Hence, the talks around the same had died down a bit.

However, Virat Kohli seems to have found his old mojo back now as he has already smashed three international centuries in 2023. As a result, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh reckons Kohli will not only surpass Tendulkar’s mark but also has the potential to hit fifty more centuries.

“It's certainly possible. I think he can score more than that (100 centuries). Two things favour Virat here; his age, and his fitness. He's 34 but his fitness is that of a 24-year-old cricketer. He's way ahead in that aspect. He has already scored 75 centuries, he can score at least 50 more. He knows his game and he plays all formats,” Harbhajan told Sports Tak.

“You might think I'm going overboard with this, but it is certainly possible. If anyone can do it, it's Virat Kohli. Rest all are far behind him. He knew he had to work on his fitness, because his batting abilities are god-gifted. I don't think he will stop from here. There are no technical faults, and even if they are, he works on them and rectifies them. Since his return (after break), he has already scored five centuries. This is pretty much a comeback for him,” he added.

Harbhajan Singh further stated that Indian batters needed a pitch like the one in Ahmedabad after playing on turning tracks in the first three Tests in Nagpur, Delhi and Indore, where matches got over inside three days.

“It's nice that he (Kohli) got a chance to bat on a pitch that assists batters. Earlier, the games used to end in three days and bowlers ruled the roost. Virat, Rohit (Sharma), (Cheteshwar) Pujara also have the right to get pitches where they can score runs. A fifty on bowling-friendly surfaces is like a hundred, and they've done that,” Harbhajan said.

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 13 Mar, 2023

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