Indian cricket star Virat Kohli has cemented his legacy by scoring his 52nd ODI century, an innings of 135 off 120 balls against South Africa in the first ODI in Ranchi. This landmark century pushes him past Sachin Tendulkar to hold the outright record for the most centuries by any batter in a single international format.
👑 The New Century King of ODIs
| Record Category | Batter | Number of Centuries | Details |
| Most ODI Centuries | Virat Kohli | 52 | Sets the all-time record in men’s ODIs. |
| Most Test Centuries | Sachin Tendulkar | 51 | Previous single-format record. |
| Most Centuries in a Single International Format | Virat Kohli | 52 (ODI) | Holds the outright international record. |
| Previous ODI Record | Sachin Tendulkar | 49 |
📈 Efficiency Gap: A Statistical Anomaly
Kohli’s ability to score centuries with remarkable frequency highlights his dominance in the 50-over format:
| Batter | ODI Hundreds | Innings Taken | Century Frequency (Innings per 100) |
| Virat Kohli | 52 | 294 | 1 every 5.6 innings |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 49 | 452 | 1 every 9.2 innings |
Kohli is not just extending the ODI century record, which currently sits three clear of Tendulkar (49) and far ahead of the next active player, Rohit Sharma (33), but is setting a new benchmark for scoring frequency that many once considered impossible to match.
🌟 Career Significance
With this century, Kohli moves to 14,390 runs in 294 innings. While previously known as the ultimate “chase master,” Kohli’s current form shows him evolving into a “two-gear run machine,” capable of controlling the tempo and anchoring the innings, a role he fulfilled in this tricky first ODI against South Africa.