Virat Kohli's Centuries Explained: The Quest for 100 International Hundreds

Virat Kohli's 100th international century — scored in the ODI vs Sri Lanka in the 2023 Asia Cup (Colombo, September 12, 2023) — is the second time in cricket history that a batsman has reached the milestone. Sachin Tendulkar was the first to reach 100 international centuries (his 100th came in March 2012, after 2 years of immense pressure). Kohli reached his 100th in 594 international innings; Tendulkar required 623 innings. The specific breakdown of Kohli's 100 centuries: 30 in Tests, 46 in ODIs, 1 in T20Is (as of 2023 when the milestone was reached).

The Century Drought: 2020-2022

Virat Kohli's most scrutinised period: a 1,020-day gap between international centuries (November 2019 to November 2022 — when he scored 122* vs Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup, Ahmedabad). During this drought: Kohli played 113 international innings without a century — his form dipped to average approximately 32 across formats, substantially below his 57-60 peak. The causes: multiple theories were proposed by cricket analysts: (a) Technical: a change in his head position (head going slightly to the off-side), affecting his judgment on the leave; (b) Captaincy pressure: Kohli resigned the T20I captaincy in September 2021, then was removed from ODI captaincy in December 2021, creating public upheaval; (c) Mental load: he took a break from cricket for personal well-being in September 2021. The drought ended with the T20 WC century vs Afghanistan in November 2022 — and his next ODI century (Jan 2023) broke the century-in-ODIs drought of 1,020 days.

The 100th Century and What It Means

Kohli's 47th ODI century (vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2023 Super 4, Colombo): he scored 122* from 94 balls — also passing 13,000 ODI runs in that innings. This was his 77th international century (Test + ODI + T20I combined), two shy of Tendulkar's then-ODI record of 49. He then broke Tendulkar's ODI century record two months later during the 2023 ODI World Cup (his 50th ODI century came vs New Zealand in the semifinal at Wankhede). NOTE: Sachin Tendulkar remains the only cricketer in history with 100 international centuries (51 Test + 49 ODI). Kohli's total international centuries at retirement: 30 Test + 54 ODI + 1 T20I = 85 — exceptional but Tendulkar's 100-century landmark has not been matched. Kohli continued to score heavily in the 2023 ODI World Cup (765 runs at 95.6 average — setting the record for most runs in a single ODI World Cup). India lost the Final to Australia.

Kohli's Test Record vs ODI Record: Which Is Greater?

Virat Kohli's two format records compared: Test record — 9,230 runs at ~47.5 average, 30 centuries (retired May 2025); ODI record — 13,000+ runs at 58.18 average, 50+ centuries (still active in ODIs). His ODI statistics (highest average, most centuries in ODI history) are statistically his greatest format achievement. His Test record — while exceptional — is slightly below his ODI performance: his ~47.5 final Test average is strong but not historically top-10 among players with 5,000+ runs (it's approximately 15th). The specific Test achievement that sets Kohli apart: he scored Test centuries in India, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan — all 9 major Test-playing nations he toured.