'Doesn't matter if Kohli breaks Sachin's record'- Rashid Latif 

India recently lost an ODI series vs Bangladesh [Source: AP]

India’s star batter Virat Kohli ended a three-year-long drought for a One Day International century, going past the three-figure mark in Chittagong against Bangladesh on Saturday, December 10.

It was his 44th ODI ton and 72nd overall in international cricket. With this century he went past Australia veteran Ricky Ponting’s tally of 71 international centuries and is now only behind Sachin Tendulkar, who has 100 international tons to his name.

Now, here the question again arises, can Virat Kohli still overtake legendary Sachin Tendulkar in terms of scoring international centuries? Former Pakistan coach Rashid Latif came up with an interesting answer upon being asked the same.

The former wicket-keeper batter, speaking on his YouTube channel, pointed out that whether or not Kohli breaks Master Blaster's record doesn't matter anymore to Indian fans. Rather, they are waiting for their team to clinch an ICC title. 

Here's what Rashid Latif said

"It is not the time to count the number of centuries. It doesn't matter. They need to win a title. It has been years since India won a trophy. Whether Kohli scores 100 centuries or 200, it doesn't matter, what matters to Indian cricket and the fans is a title."

"If you look financially, IPL and Indian cricket are far ahead, but now there is pressure from the fans and the media that they want a title. 

"Kohli can score 100 centuries if he wants, but the demand has changed. The Asia Cup is gone, and so is the Champions Trophy, the 2019 World Cup, and the last two T20 World Cups. 100 centuries has its own place, but India and the Indian cricket board need to win a title.” 

Team India last won a major ICC trophy under former captain MS Dhoni in 2013 and has since failed to bring an end to their ICC trophy drought despite coming close on several occasions.

They reached the final of the 2014 T20 World Cup where they lost against Sri Lanka before losing in the semi-finals of both the 2015 ODI World Cup and the T20 World Cup in 2016. 

The Men in Blue lost the final of the Champions Trophy in 2017 against Pakistan under Virat Kohli's captaincy before losing to New Zealand in the semi-final of the 2019 ODI World Cup.

India faced a group-stage exit in the 2021 T20 World Cup while they lost to England in the semi-finals of the 2022 T20 World Cup. It has been almost nine years since the Indian team last won any major ICC trophy.  

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