In his next 10 innings, he will score 5 hundreds: Shastri backs Kohli to break Sachin’s 100 centuries record

Virat Kohli’s record-breaking 50th ODI hundred in the World Cup semis against New Zealand made headlines in every cricketing country. From the great David Beckham to Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar himself, everyone present at the venue acknowledged Kohli’s magical feat. Ravi Shastri, former India coach, also lauded his match-winning hundred, saying Virat is not far from breaking Sachin’s 100 international hundreds record.

Kohli completed his 50th ODI century on Sunday – becoming the player with the most hundreds in this format. Though his age could come in between him and his desire to end up with the most international tons to his name, Virat’s agility, fitness and ability to run doubles defy that narrative, an example of which was on display during the first semi-final in Mumbai.

Having coached and watched him play from close quarters, Shastri backs the King of One-Day cricket to eventually go past Sachin on the hundreds tally and assert himself as the ‘Greatest of all Time’.

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"Who would have thought when Sachin Tendulkar got 100 hundreds that anyone would come close? And, he's got 80; 80 international hundreds, 50 of them in the one-day game, which makes him the highest. Unreal," said Shastri during The ICC Review.

"Nothing's impossible because such players, when they start reeling off hundreds, then they score them pretty quickly. In his next 10 innings, you might see another five hundreds,” the former India coach added.

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Remaining in awe of Kohli’s fitness levels, separating him from the rest, Shastri said, considering he plays all three formats and can continue doing that for the next three to four years is a commendable thought.

"You have three formats of the game, and he's part of all those formats. To think that he still has three or four years of cricket ahead of him is simply mind-boggling." Shastri added. "I think his composure, his body language, his calmness at the crease (in this WC). I have seen him come out in previous World Cups where he's like a cat on a hot tin roof."

Ability to complete doubles helps him release pressure

Based on timing and ability to find gaps at will outside of knowing when and how to complete doubles from an almost impossible situation, Kohli has more to his batting than just piling up runs.

“One of the features of his batting has been his running between the wickets. The fact that he doesn't have to hit boundaries and sixes, he can run hard between the wickets because of his physical fitness.

"That takes the pressure off him. Even when he's not getting the boundaries, he's still rotating the strike. He always has that uncanny ability of making it up towards the back end of the innings," Shastri added.

Meanwhile, on the back of an unbeaten run in this tournament, India has reached the finals, scheduled on Sunday in Ahmedabad.