“Would be very hard for future batters to break Virat Kohli’s records” - S Sreesanth 

Former India fast bowler S Sreesanth has predicted that Virat Kohli would go on to break most of the batting records in ODIs, including most hundreds and fifties. He also opined that future batters would find it very difficult to break Kohli’s records.

Kohli is currently the fourth-leading run-getter in ODIs with 13437 runs in 286 matches at an average of 58.16 and a strike rate of 93.69. Among players with the most hundreds in the format, Kohli is within touching distance of Sachin Tendulkar.

While Kohli has 48 tons to his name, Tendulkar notched up 49 in 452 innings. The former is also third on the list of batters with the most 50-plus scores (including tons) in ODIs, after Tendulkar (145) and Kumar Sangakkara (118). Kohli has 117 to his name.

Speaking to Sportskeeda, Sreesanth backed Kohli to break most major ODI records.

“We are all talking about Sachin Tendulkar’s records, but Kohli is going to break the record for hundreds, fifties and most runs in the World Cup. Someone else might break it in the future, but it would be very hard for future batters to break Virat Kohli’s records,” he commented.

The 40-year-old added that Kohli’s hunger for runs and success has stood out in the ongoing ODI World Cup.

“You can just keep on talking about Virat. The best thing especially in this World Cup is that hunger he has got, and not just for runs. When he is fielding, he does it with passion. For India, cricket is a religion and the whole world as well, it is an emotion. He plays with so much emotion. The way Virat plays, everything from sports to arts, gets expression," he elaborated.

“Virat, please keep playing the way you do and lots of respect to his family and his full circle. The kind of feedback they are giving him, it’s amazing,” Sreesanth concluded.

Kohli is the second-leading run-getter in the 2023 World Cup at present. In five innings, he has notched up 354 runs at an average of 118 and a strike rate of 90.54.

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Virat Kohli’s record in the ODI World Cup

Kohli has played 31 ODI World Cup matches in which he has scored 1384 runs at an average of 55.36 and a strike rate of 87.65, with three hundreds and nine fifties.

The 34-year-old is fourth on the list of all-time leading run-scorers in the ODI World Cup. Tendulkar (2278), Ricky Ponting (1743), and Sangakkara (1532) occupy the top three slots.