'Hadn't thought I'd score so many hundreds': Virat Kohli as he nears Sachin Tendulkar's ODI centuries record

Virat Kohli has had a celebrated career so far in international cricket. After a rough patch of firm between 2020 and last year, Kohli seems to be finding his rhythm once again, not only scoring runs at will, but also nailing quite a few run-chases.

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Kohli, who has scored 354 runs from six matches in the ongoing 2023 ODI World Cup, recently scored his 48^th ODI century when India took Bangladesh in the World Cup, and is one century away from equalling Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI tons.



Against New Zealand, Kohli fell five runs short of equalling Sachin Tendulkar’s hundreds record, after he was dismissed for 95, but the former captain will get another opportunity when India take on Sri Lanka in their next World Cup match in Mumbai on Thursday.

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Kohli, however, has revealed that he never thought about scoring these many hundreds.

“I had always dreamt I’d do this, but I had never thought things would pan out this way exactly. Nobody can plan these things, the way your journey is going, and the way things unfold in front of you,” Kohli said on Star Sports.

“I hadn’t thought that I’d score so many hundreds and so many runs in these 12 years,” the 34-year-old added.

Kohli, who turns 35 on 5 November, revealed how he made changes to his discipline and lifestyle to become a better cricketer.

“My only focus was that I should perform well for the team and win games for the team from difficult situations. For that, I made quite a few changes along the way regarding discipline and lifestyle.”

“I always had the drive in me, but I lacked the professionalism. Now, I have a single-minded focus on how I want to play the game, and after that, the results I’ve achieved are from playing that way itself,” he added.

The Delhi cricketer went onto say that it’s the effort that a cricketer puts into his performance that helps him get recognised.

“The game recognises effort. Honestly, that’s what I have learnt from my career.

“I’ve played cricket by giving my hundred per cent on the field, and the blessings I have got from it have been given to me by God, and I had never thought things would have unfolded this way,” he added.

Kohli has amassed 13, 437 runs from 287 ODIs at an average of 57.92. He holds several records in international cricket, including having scored the third-most runs in a calendar year, after he amassed 2818 runs across formats in 2017.

India have maintained a 100 per cent start to the 2023 World Cup, having won six out of six matches, including victories against Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand and England. The Men in Blue’s game against Sri Lanka on Thursday will be followed by matches against South Africa (5 November) and Netherlands (12 November).