Wasim Akram, a former captain of Pakistan, has said that he never imagined someone would surpass Sachin Tendulkar’s mark of 49 one-day hundreds. Akram praised Virat Kohli, who is one shy of the milestone set by the Indian star, saying that he “seems to be from another planet.”
On Thursday, October 19, in the 2023 World Cup match against Bangladesh at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, Kohli achieved his 48th ODI century. The 34-year-old was awarded Player of the Match for his impressive unbeaten score of 103 runs off 97 balls. India successfully chased down a target of 257 runs with seven wickets remaining in just 41.3 overs.
India’s victory over Bangladesh marked their fourth victory in as many World Cup games. Akram discussed Kohli’s potential to surpass Tendulkar’s record for the most one-day tons during an interview.
“They say records are meant to be broken. I never thought anyone would break Sachin’s record, but I was wrong. It’s a matter of 1-2 hundreds. He’s on 48, Tendulkar had 49. It’s very easy to say 48, but when you think of it, 48 ODI hundreds in one format, that’s unbelievable. During our time, 15-16 centuries were a lot in an entire career. Now, we are talking about 50 hundreds – amazing. He seems from a different planet,” the 57-year-old said.
Wasim Akram
Tendulkar accumulated 18426 runs in 463 ODIs at an average of 44.83 and an 86.23 strike rate, whereas Kohli scored 13342 runs in 285 games at an average of 58 and a 93.71 strike rate.
Wasim Akram lauds Virat Kohli’s passion and dedication
Wasim Akram praised Kohli and added that young people might learn a lot about sporting enthusiasm from him. The 34-year-old, according to the Pakistani great, never appears content with his performance and is constantly hungry to learn and develop.
“He’s averaging about 63-65 chasing. Not just in one or two games, but over hundred games. Youngsters can learn about passion from him. He is not satisfied with his performance. He may have enjoyed his hundred on the night of the match. Today, for him, that’s history. He will be thinking what to do now. That is what Virat Kohli does beautifully.”
Wasim Akram
The next time we’ll see Kohli in action will be on Sunday, October 22 at Dharamsala when India plays New Zealand.