Can Virat Kohli match Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai?

India batting icon one ODI century short of equalling legend’s 49-century mark

Virat Kohli had a wry smile, mixed with a hint of disappointment when he holed out in the deep just five runs short of what would have been a record 49th ODI century in the World Cup match against New Zealand at Dharamsala recently. The 20,000-odd fans at the picturesque, high-altitude venue were equally disappointed that their batting hero could not achieve a special high that would place him equal to Sachin Tendulkar, who holds the record for 49 ODI tons.

However, as fate would have it, Kohli now has the opportunity to equal Tendulkar’s feat in the great man’s own backyard when Team India take on Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.

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Kohli has a special affinity towards the Lankans. He made his ODI debut against them, in August 2008 at Dambulla, and a year later, scored his first ever ODI ton against them, at the Eden Gardens in December 2009. Thereafter, he has gone on to play most of his ODIs (52 out of 287) against the continental neighbours. Off his whopping 13,437 ODI runs, Kohli has also picked up the most (2,506) against the Lankans, in 52 matches.

Also, it won’t be wrong to say that the Lankans are his favourite opponent when it comes to scoring ODI hundreds, considering he has picked up the most among them. More than 20 per cent  of his 48 ODI tons—10 to be precise— have come against Sri Lanka. And considering all 10 of Kohli’s centuries against the Lankans have come in winning causes, Mumbai’s cricket afficionadoes certainly won’t mind if he matches their favourite cricketing son’s achievement at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday and confirms India’s World Cup semi-final spot.

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