How Close Was Virat Kohli To Surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s Test Century Record?

Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar in Test Cricket [Source: @MadhurKapoor12 and @sagarcasm/X.com]

On May 12, 36-year-old Virat Kohli shocked the cricket world by announcing his retirement from Test cricket. He shared an emotional post on Instagram, talking about how much he learned from his favourite format and expressing how he gave his all before saying goodbye to Test cricket.

There had been a lot of speculation before Kohli made it official. Indian Test captain Rohit Sharma had already announced his retirement from the longest format, and rumors about Kohli doing the same were making rounds. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) even tried convincing Kohli to reconsider, but their efforts didn’t work out.

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What If Virat Kohli Hadn’t Retired?

If Kohli hadn’t announced his retirement, how many more centuries would he have needed to break Sachin Tendulkar’s record?

Sachin Tendulkar’s Record In Tests

Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for the most Test centuries, scoring 51 centuries in his career. He amassed 15,921 runs at an average of 53.78. Tendulkar also holds the record for the most runs in Test cricket.

Virat Kohli’s Journey In Tests

Virat Kohli made his mark in Test cricket with impressive numbers too. He scored 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries in his career. Kohli also set a record for the most double centuries by an Indian batter, hitting seven double tons, surpassing both Tendulkar and Sehwag, who had six each.

Both Kohli and Tendulkar have been cricket legends, especially in the Test format. If Kohli had continued playing, he would have needed 21 more centuries to match Tendulkar’s record. 

Considering his form and consistency, it would have been a challenging yet achievable milestone.

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