Virat Kohli hits record 50th ODI century: A statistical breakdown of his record tally of tons

Incidentally, Kohli scored the 50th ODI ton on the exact date and the exact venue where Tendulkar played his last international innings on November 15, 2013.

India's Virat Kohli celebrates his 50th century, breaking Sachin Tendulkar's most ODI hundreds record, during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 semi-final match between India and New Zealand, at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023. (PTI Photo)

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It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Virat Kohli – for a while now – seemed destined to break most batting records in One-Day international cricket. It is the format he has owned. But there was a blip in recent times when one wondered whether the 50th ODI ton was a bridge too far.

But once the drought ended, Kohli has continued his journey to the peak. On Wednesday in Mumbai – in front of Sachin Tendulkar – Kohli scaled the mountain of tons, becoming the first player in the history of the game to score a half-century of ODI centuries.

Incidentally, Kohli scored the 50th ODI ton on the exact date and the exact venue where Tendulkar played his last international innings on November 15, 2013.

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Here’s a statistical breakdown of Kohli’s ODI centuries:

Century by country played against:

Kohli’s first ODI century came against Sri Lanka in Kolkata on December 24, 2009. It is the team against whom he has had the most success, scoring 10 tons. West Indies come a close second, with Australia – perhaps the team that has brought the best out of him most often – in third place with 8 centuries. Kohli has scored a century against every country he has played at least five innings.

v Sri Lanka: 51 inns, 10 centuries
v West Indies: 41 inns, 9 centuries
v Australia: 46 inns, 8 centuries
v New Zealand: 31 inns, 6 centuries
v South Africa: 29 inns, 5 centuries
v Bangladesh: 16 inns, 5 centuries
v England: 36 inns, 3 centuries
v Pakistan: 16 inns, 3 centuries
v Zimbabwe: 6 inns, 1 century

Century by country played in:

As for where Kohli has scored his ODI tons, there is a near-even split. Just under half of his centuries have come in India (24) with Bangladesh in second position, followed by Australia and Sri Lanka.

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in India: 24 centuries
in Bangladesh: 6 centuries
in Australia: 5 centuries
in Sri Lanka: 5 centuries
in West Indies: 4 centuries
in South Africa: 3 centuries
in England: 1 century
in Zimbabwe: 1 century
in New Zealand: 1 century

Centuries by year:

The slump in form Kohli underwent – by his own lofty standards – meant he had no centuries in 2020 and 2021. The purple patch came perhaps in 2017 and 2018 when he scored six centuries each, a number he has now matched in 2023.

2018: 14 inns, 6 centuries
2017: 26 inns, 6 centuries
2023: 23 inns, 6 centuries
2019: 25 inns, 5 centuries
2012: 17 inns, 5 centuries
2013: 30 inns, 4 centuries
2014: 20 inns, 4 centuries
2011: 34 inns, 4 centuries
2010: 24 inns, 3 centuries
2016: 10 inns, 3 centuries
2015: 20 inns, 2 centuries
2009: 8 inns, 1 century
2022: 11 inns, 1 century

Centuries as captain and otherwise:

Even though an ICC trophy eluded Kohli as India captain, one of his best traits was how he stepped up his run-scoring when he led the country. He scored 21 centuries in 91 innings as captain. Interestingly, Kohli’s first ODI ton came under Virender Sehwag’s captaincy and the former India opener was also present at the venue for his 50th as he was being inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.

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Virat Kohli: 21
MS Dhoni: 19
Rohit Sharma: 6
Virender Sehwag: 2
Gautam Gambhir: 1
KL Rahul: 1

Kohli’s centuries have come while batting at only two positions: 43 at Number 3 and 7 at No 4.

Chasemaster Kohli has scored 27 centuries while batting second, and India won 23 of those matches. Incredibly, 42 out of Kohli’s 50 ODI tons have resulted in India wins, seven in defeats and one in a tie.

(Stats via Statsguru)