Former India captain Virat Kohli ended his 1214-day ODI drought on Saturday with his 44th ODI ton in the team’s emphatic win over Bangladesh in Chattogram. The century moved him ahead of Australia’s Ricky Ponting into second place on the elusive list of most international centuries, trailing only the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
As a result, for the first time in over three years, the debate over whether Kohli can break Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 centuries has resurfaced. However, a former Pakistan captain believes that it doesn’t matter if Kohli ends up with 200 centuries, pointing out a harsh reality about Indian cricket.
Kohli is now only five centuries behind Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI record of 49 and 28 behind Sachin in terms of international hundreds. With Kohli still actively participating in all three formats, there is still a chance that he will threaten Sachin’s record.
It has been years since India won a trophy: Rashid Latif
Rashid Latif was asked if he believed that the possibility existed. However, speaking on his YouTube channel, the veteran cricketer stated that Kohli’s attempt to break Sachin’s record is not what fans are looking for. They would rather see India win another Apex Cricket Council title.
“It is not the time to count the number of centuries. It doesn’t matter. They need to win a title. It has been years since India won a trophy. Whether Kohli scores 100 centuries or 200, it doesn’t matter, what matters to Indian cricket and the fans is a title. If you look financially, IPL and Indian cricket are far ahead, but now there is pressure from the fans and the media that they want a title. Kohli can score 100 centuries if he wants, but the demand has changed. The Asia Cup is gone, so is Champions Trophy, the 2019 World Cup, the last two T20 World Cups. 100 centuries has its own place, but India and the Indian cricket board needs to win a title,” he said.
