'Kohli will break many records but...' - Brian Lara dismisses comparisons between Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar's centuries record

One of the all-time batting legends Brian Lara has been a big Virat Kohli but even after being an admirer of Kohli’s batting prowess, he is still optimistic of surpassing the record of Sachin Tendulkar’s 100 international centuries.

Lara said that breaking Sachin’s record of 49 ODI centuries was a huge achievement of  Virat Kohli but it was well within Virat’s range as the ODI format is Virat’s most successful format and it is one where you can even bet your life on Virat’s batting.

Lara also mentioned that even when Kohli was going through a rough patch, the ODI was still at a format where he was scoring runs. When he got the opportunity to get it big in a World Cup at his home, he made the most of the of it and achieved the feat of scoring the most numbers of ODI centuries in World Cup semi-final.

Brian Lara feels that whoever says that Virat will break the record of Sachin’s hundred 100s is not putting much cricketing logic into it. Virat is currently at 35 years old and has scored 80 centuries till now and the future of ODI is not certain as India is to play only 5 ODIs in the upcoming year. So, assuming that if Virat plays for another 4 years then he will have to score 5 centuries every year and as he doesn’t play many T20Is too he will have to hit most of his centuries in the red-ball format.

"Can't say with certainty, no one can. Those saying Kohli will break Tendulkar's 100-centuries record won't be taking cricketing logic into account. This is because 20 centuries seem a long way away. Most cricketers can't score that in their entire career. I won't be adventurous and say Kohli will do it," he added. “Age doesn't stop for anyone. Kohli will break many more records but 100 centuries seems the most difficult one.” Lara said in an interview with Anadabazar Patrika.

Whoever questioned Kohli’s intent is just jealous of him, says Lara

In the recently concluded ODI World Cup, Kohli achieved an impressive feat by scoring 765 runs in 11 matches with an average of 95.62. This makes him the first cricketer to surpass 700 runs in a single World Cup edition.

Despite hitting three centuries, some critics speculated that he intentionally slowed down to reach certain milestones. However, cricket legend Lara dismissed these claims, attributing such comments to jealousy. Lara stated, "Those making such remarks are envious of the remarkable number of runs he has scored. I've experienced similar sentiments in my career."