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Records That Virat Kohli Would Miss If He Retires From ODI Cricket Now

Probuddha Bhattacharjee

Virat Kohli in ODIs [Source: AFP Media]Virat Kohli in ODIs [Source: AFP Media]

Virat Kohli will be remembered as one of the greatest players to have graced the game. At the age of 36, whispers about the maestro's retirement from ODIs are gaining a lot of traction. 

Even the glitch in ICC's ranking that resulted in the removal of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from the rankings has fired the rumours even more. If India's best number 18 in cricket walks out of cricket now, then he will miss certain immortal records.

Current ODI Supremacy

A look at Virat's ODI numbers and it feels nothing short of mesmerizing poetry. 14,181 runs in 302 matches with 51 centuries at a staggering average of nearly 58. Recently, Kohli became the fastest player to reach 14,000 ODI runs in just 287 innings during the last edition of the Champions Trophy. 

Over the years, Kohli has demonstrated dominance in the format. The timing of his retirement appears paradoxical given his current form trajectory.

Most Runs In ODIs

Sachin Tendulkar has the record for most ODI runs with 18,426 of them under his belt. There is a difference of 4,245 runs between him and Kohli at present.

Conservative projections predict that he might take around 90-95 more ODI appearances to surpass this legendary benchmark. Given his current rate of scoring 47 runs per innings, this would roughly take three to four years of ODI cricket.

With the fitness that Kohli has and the expertise in his batting, the statistical probability of him breaking this record is high. Thus, a retirement at this juncture would deprive him of this.

Sachin Tendulkar [Source: AFP Media]Sachin Tendulkar [Source: AFP Media]

Most Catches In ODIs

Currently, Virat Kohli has taken 161 catches in ODIs. He is second in the list behind Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene. He had 218 catches under his name. 

The difference in this record is about 58 more catches for Kohli. He has a rate of taking 0.538 catches per innings. At this rate, it would take him about 107 matches to have the record to his name. That also shows he needs around 3.5 to 4 years of cricket to be at the top of the list.

The 100 Centuries Mark

Virat Kohli's retirement from Test and T20Is has made Sachin's 100 international centuries nearly impossible. With 82 centuries across formats, he is 18 away from possessing the record, but now only has ODI chances. 

Mathematical analysis reveals the harsh reality: achieving this milestone would necessitate approximately 105 additional ODI matches, based on his current century scoring rate of one in every 5.86 innings.

With merely 27 ODIs scheduled before the 2027 ODI World Cup, even playing till the marquee tournament does not bring him close to the record.

Conclusion

The current discussions around Kohli's ODI retirement represent cricket's most important "what-if" scenario. While the 100-century record of Sachin Tendulkar now appears beyond reach, the most runs in the format is tantalizingly close.

The cricketing cosmos awaits whether King Kohli will pursue these records or conclude his ODI odyssey prematurely, leaving records within reach, unclaimed forever.