Virat Kohli can break Sachin Tendulkar's centuries record, says Chris Gayle

What’s the story?

Virat Kohli’s career has surged upwards at the rate of knots, so much so that he’s widely being compared to a young Sachin Tendulkar in his pomp. Having stacked up great numbers in his first nine years of international cricket, Kohli can now realistically set sights on the Little Master’s records.

West Indies star Chris Gayle has backed his RCB captain to break Sachin’s record for most centuries: “Well I still see him progressing in his career. A lot more runs to score and he can only get better and better and gain more experience as well. He will be one of the top guys, maybe even target Sachin Tendulkar for the most centuries and get those hundreds”.

In case you didn’t know…

Having started off in the Indian team as a talented 19-year-old in 2008, waiting to carve his place in a choc-a-bloc middle-order, Kohli rose above his competitors to become one of the game’s modern greats over the next nine years.

He already has 28 ODI hundreds, the third most by any player, and at the age of 28, holds a good enough chance to go past Sachin’s tally of 49 ODI tons.

The heart of the matter

Describing Kohli as ‘young and energetic’, Gayle marvelled at the Indian captain’s mindset, but believed that he still had a long way to go, with a lot more runs and hundreds to come in the future. With more experience, Kohli will become better and would be counted as one of the game’s greats by the time he finishes off his career.

Talking about his own comeback to the national side, Gayle, who will turn 38 soon, has his eyes set on the 2019 World Cup, where he intends to put up a good show along with the team.

What’s next?

While Kohli will captain the Indian side on their tour to Sri Lanka later this month, Gayle, who made a comeback to the T20I side in the one-off game against India, could be back in the ODI side soon given that the animosity between the WICB and the players has ended.

Author’s take

There is no denying that Kohli has been in stupendous form in the last few seasons, but sterner tests await him, now that he has the additional burden of captaincy of all three formats on him. It is Also, Kohli hasn’t seen a proper rut, an extended rough patch that could could challenge his famed mental strength.

What works for him is his tremendous fitness, which will help him last longer than his peers if he intends to match Sachin’s longevity