The Ranchi crowd had seen Virat Kohli raise his bat many times, but this one carried a different weight. A crisp 135 off 120 balls measured, timely, and ruthlessly efficient  carried him to a landmark almost unimaginable decade ago: 52 ODI centuries. The number alone bends belief, but the context around it makes the feat extraordinary.
Kohli didn’t just step past another milestone; he pushed the boundaries of what is considered possible within one international format.
In the age of fast scoring and shifting roles, he has carved out a lane no one else is even close to matching.
With this hundred, Kohli moved even further ahead of the legendary list of ODI century-makers:
- Virat Kohli – 52 ODI 100s in 294 innings
- Sachin Tendulkar – 49 ODI 100s in 452 innings
- Rohit Sharma – 33 ODI 100s
But what separates Kohli is not just the sheer volume it’s the efficiency gap.
Tendulkar recorded a hundred every 9.2 innings.
Kohli does it every 5.6 innings.
The difference is enormous. For a generation raised on the idea that no one would touch Tendulkar’s ODI records, Kohli hasn’t only matched them, he has shifted the pace of run-scoring itself.
And this hundred carries an additional layer:
He now owns the most centuries in any single international format, overtaking even Tendulkar’s 51 Test tons.
That’s not just breaking a record; it’s redefining the ceiling.
Kohli built his early ODI empire on the back of chases. His script was predictable yet unstoppable settle early, anchor the innings, break the opposition’s shoulders in the last 15 overs.
But the story has changed over the last few years. This Ranchi knock, like his recent hundreds, was built batting first. The gears are smoother now:
- Absorb pressure early
- Hold the innings when wickets fall
- Accelerate with precision once set
- Stretch the innings deep into the late overs
He has become a run machine with two distinct tempos one for control, one for destruction. And most importantly, he has adapted his game without losing his original identity: efficiency.
The Second Peak No One Saw Coming
Between 2019 and 2022, Kohli went through a long, uncomfortable century drought. His critics sharpened their theories: age, fatigue, fading reflexes, technical decline.
But the numbers since he broke that drought tell a different story a late-career resurgence that rivals his prime:
- Multiple World Cup hundreds
- A return to scoring big at home
- Consistency across formats
- Now, a statement hundred against a strong South African attack
This 52nd century isn’t just another mark in the record book it represents a phase where he is playing with the maturity of a veteran and the hunger of a beginner.
Why This Matters for India Beyond the Stats
India’s ODI blueprint has been shifting. Rohit Sharma is approaching the twilight of his career, and the middle order continues to be reshuffled. Amid all this transition, Kohli remains the one immovable pillar.
At No. 3, he offers three invaluable assets:
- A guaranteed presence during crisis overs
- A stabiliser when early wickets fall
- A platform to launch big totals or nail chases
Every long-term plan for a major tournament especially the next ODI World Cup still revolves around the reliability of Kohli anchoring the innings.
He has become the backbone around which the next phase of India’s white-ball identity must be shaped.
