Kohli's ODI tons in pictures
Fifty Shades of Great
#1 - It took him 15 matches, but on December 24, 2009, 21-year-old Virat Kohli finally got to the three-figure mark in ODIs. Perhaps fittingly, it came in a chase against Sri Lanka, as Kohli and Gautam Gambhir both scored tons to chase down 316 with ease at Eden Gardens•Getty Images
#3 - Kohli came into the home series against Australia in October 2010 on a poor run of form, and was somewhat lucky, funnily enough, to keep his place in the side only due to his current captain Rohit Sharma's own lean patch at the time. Kohli knew he had to make the opportunity count, and he did, not even letting severe cramps come in his way. With the help of a runner, as well as handy contributions from Yuvraj Singh and later Suresh Raina, Kohli lined up Australia's attack in a chase of 290•Getty Images
#6 - India had little to cheer about during their dismal tour of England in 2011, but Kohli did provide the occasional spark. His 93-ball 107 in Cardiff came in a losing cause, but showed India were in good hands even as they bid farewell to Rahul Dravid in ODIs•Getty Images
#9 - Widely considered one of his best-ever knocks, Kohli's classic century in Hobart made a mockery of a 321-run chase against Sri Lanka. India needed to hunt down the daunting total inside 40 overs if they stood any chance of qualifying for the final against Australia; Kohli, almost singlehandedly, managed it inside 37, famously even smashing Lasith Malinga for 24 runs in an over•Getty Images
#12 - Kohli continued to pile on runs and misery on Sri Lanka who by now knew more than most just what the batter was capable of. His 106 was his third consecutive ton against Sri Lanka, and set up a comfortable win for India in Hambantota•AFP
#15 - A mid-2013 tour of Zimbabwe gave Kohli the opportunity to check off some more boxes in his ODI resume. Captaining a young side in the series, Kohli's 115 in Harare was his first ton against Zimbabwe, and India eventually ran away 5-0 winners•AFP
#18 - Kohli's maiden ODI century in New Zealand was a rarity in that it couldn't quite get India over the line in a chase. His 123 came off just 111 balls, and had India on track in a chase of 293. However, his dismissal in the 45th over triggered a collapse•Getty Images
#21 - During the course of the home series against Sri Lanka in November 2014, Kohli crossed 6000 ODI runs, becoming the fastest batter to the milestone. Of course, there was the customary match-winning hundred in a chase, his 139 not out in Ranchi completing a 5-0 whitewash for the hosts•BCCI
#24 - For only the third time in his career, Kohli ended up on the losing side of an ODI in which he scored a century. However, his 117 at the MCG in January 2016 got him past a few more key milestones: he became the fastest to reach 7000 ODI runs, in just 161 innings•Getty Images
#27 - Kohli's first game as India's permanent ODI captain, after Dhoni had handed over the reins, saw him faced with a familiar task: a 350-plus run chase, against England in Pune. Once Kohli began his onslaught, he continued to attack even as wickets fell at the other end, eventually finishing with a 105-ball 122. He fell with India 88 runs from victory, before Kedar Jadhav (120) and Hardik Pandya (40*) sealed the win with room to spare•AFP
#30 - Kohli equalled Ricky Ponting's tally of 30 ODI tons on September 3, 2017. While the Australian took 349 innings to reach the mark, Kohli needed only 186; his unbeaten 110 in Colombo turned a chase of 239 into a cakewalk, and gave India a 5-0 series sweep•Ishara S. Kodikara
#33 - The 2017-18 ODI tour of South Africa was Kohli's most prolific yet, as he notched up three centuries and scored 558 runs - the highest ever by a batter in a bilateral series. The first of those three tons came in Durban and, with it, Kohli completed the set of scoring an ODI century in every country he had played in•Anesh Debiky/AFP/Getty Images
#36 - For the fifth time in their careers, Rohit and Kohli joined hands for a double-century partnership, their 246-run stand helping India chase down 323 against West Indies with ridiculous ease in Guwahati. Kohli's 140 was his 14th ton as captain, and 20th in a successful chase•Associated Press
#39 - Kohli returned to Australia in January 2019 to set up another clinical chase. He stroked a fluent 104 in Adelaide to put India on course to achieve a target of 299, before Dhoni applied the finishing touches•Getty Images
#42 - After an individually disappointing 2019 World Cup in which he failed to score a century and India were knocked out in the semi-finals, Kohli ended his 11-game hundred drought against West Indies, in Port-of-Spain, in August 2019. As Kohli shuffled and pulled his way to a chanceless 120, he also overtook Sourav Ganguly to move up to eighth on the all-time ODI run-getters' list•Associated Press
#45 - The floodgates were then once again opened, as an unshackled Kohli returned to torment his favourite opponents, in January 2023. His 45th ODI ton was a fireworks-filled 113 against Sri Lanka in Guwahati•Associated Press
#48 - Kohli's knock in the 2023 World Cup against Bangladesh turned into a race between completing his 48th ODI hundred and an India victory. The century seemed unlikely when Kohli was batting on 73, and India needed only 28 runs for victory. But with KL Rahul turning down singles at the other end, Kohli was given an opportunity to race to the finish line all by himself. Kohli proceeded to rain down boundaries, and eventually sealed the century and India win with a huge six in the 42nd over to send the Pune crowd into euphoria•Pankaj Nangia/Getty
#2 - He didn't have to wait too long for his next hundred, showing remarkable maturity in a 95-ball 102 against Bangladesh in January 2010. Chasing 248, Kohli stayed unbeaten till the end, perhaps learning a thing or two from his captain who wasn't a bad finisher himself•Getty Images
#4 - Kohli's fourth ODI century was his second in a row, and his first while batting first in an innings. It wasn't the flashiest, but Kohli's 105 took India to a challenging total and got the job done against New Zealand in November 2010 in Guwahati•Getty Images
#7 - Fast, and furious. Fortunes were far more favourable for India when they hosted England in October 2011. Kohli's chanceless and unbeaten 112 at his home ground in Delhi was one of the highlights of a one-sided ODI series, which India swept 5-0•Getty Images
#10 - Another century against Sri Lanka, but this time while batting first. Kohli and Gambhir both raised tons during a 205-run stand in the Asia Cup clash in Mirpur that effectively batted Sri Lanka out of the game•Associated Press
#13 - A few days later, Kohli was once again the architect of a mature and successful run-chase, his unbeaten 128 in Colombo sealing the series for India. No surprises as to whom was named Player of the Series•AFP
#16 - How do you chase down 360 against a red-hot Australia attack? Well, if you're Kohli, you do it without breaking a sweat, inside 44 overs, while also scoring the fastest hundred by an Indian, off just 52 balls
Kohli (100*) and Rohit (141*) both hit centuries, and Shikhar Dhawan chipped in with a handy 95, as India's top three blew away Australia in Jaipur in October 2013•BCCI
#19 - By February 2014, Kohli had already equalled Brian Lara on the list of all-time ODI centuries, with 13 of his 19 tons coming during a chase. Bangladesh scored 279, but it was of little use, as Kohli creamed 16 fours and two sixes in a match-winning 136 in their opening game of the Asia Cup•AFP
#22 - There are few higher stakes in cricket than an India-Pakistan World Cup match, and Kohli delivered on this big stage. His 107 in Adelaide ensured India kept their winning record against Pakistan in ODI World Cups intact•AFP/Getty Images
#25 - Three days later, Kohli followed it up with another ton, in Canberra, as he and Shikhar Dhawan shared a 212-run partnership to put India on course in a chase of 349. However, the visitors tripped over in sight of the finish line, and lost by 25 runs•Cricket Australia/Getty Images
#28 - Kohli had previously struggled with the short ball in the West Indies, but with the series on the line in Kingston in July 2017, he rose to the challenge, fending and hooking his way to an unbeaten 111, firing India to an eight-wicket win•AFP
#31 - Kohli marked his 200th ODI with yet another century, though No. 31 came in a losing cause. India's total of 280 was the lowest in which Kohli had scored a hundred, and Tom Latham counterattacked with a ton of his own, helping New Zealand win the first ODI at the Wankhede in October 2017•BCCI
#34 - Kohli's unbeaten 160 in Cape Town was unique for a couple of reasons - it was his longest innings in terms of balls (159), and he scored 100 of those runs by running between the wickets. His toil didn't go to waste, as India romped to a 124-run victory•BCCI
#37 - Visakhapatnam bore witness to greatness in October 2018, as Kohli reached 10,000 ODI runs in just 205 innings - comfortably the fastest batter to reach that milestone. Kohli shellacked his way to 157 not out, powering India to 321 for 6. He couldn't quite celebrate a win though, as Shai Hope responded with a spectacular century of his own to tie the game for West Indies with a last-ball four•Associated Press
#40 - On a slow and dry Nagpur pitch, Kohli helped India to their 500th ODI win in March 2019 and, in the process, raised his 40th century in the format, against Australia. He accounted for nearly half the team's score of 250, and Australia, despite appearing well set to chase that down at one stage, fell eight runs short•Getty Images
#43 - At the same venue, three days later, Kohli - with Shreyas Iyer for company - helped India seal the series 2-0. Kohli blasted 14 fours in the rain-affected game as he made his way to 144 not out from just 99 deliveries. Little did anyone know at the time, but it would be Kohli's last ODI ton for more than three years•AFP
#46 - Kohli and India obliterated several records during the Thiruvananthapuram ODI. Kohli slammed an unbeaten 166, while Sri Lanka as a unit could only muster 76. It was India's biggest ever ODI win, and Kohli's 21st ton at home - the most by a player in a single country. •Associated Press
#49 - In Kolkata, on the day he turned 35, Kohli drew level with Sachin Tendulkar on the list of most ODI hundreds. His 49th ton was a patient 101 that took India to an above-par 326, and paved the way for another crushing victory •ICC via Getty
#5 - Kohli's only century during India's victorious 2011 World Cup campaign came in the very first match, against Bangladesh. While Virender Sehwag stole the headlines with a fiery 175, Kohli also piled on an unbeaten 83-ball 100 •AFP
#8 - Not for the first time and certainly not the last, it was the Kohli-Rohit show in Visakhapatnam in December 2011, as the pair put up a 163-run partnership against West Indies. Rohit missed out on his ton, but Kohli stroked his way to 117•Getty Images
#11 - On March 16, 2012, Sachin Tendulkar finally reached a record 100th international hundred, although his historic effort came in a losing cause, against Bangladesh. Two days later, again in Mirpur, Kohli would demolish some records of his own, cantering to his first century against Pakistan and getting his highest-ever ODI score - 183 off 148 balls - as India strolled home in a record chase of 330•AFP
#14 - Century No.14 took almost a year to arrive, but when it did, the celebrations were big. Kohli's blistering 102 off 83 balls lifted India to 311 in Port-of-Spain, and helped seal a bonus-point win against West Indies•Associated Press
#17 - Another 350-plus run chase, another Kohli special, another India win. It was deja vu in Nagpur, as India's top three once again dismantled the Australia attack. Rohit and Dhawan laid the foundation with a 178-run opening stand, before Kohli blitzed an unbeaten 66-ball 115. Kohli, who had walked in only during the 30th over of the chase, took India over the line with three balls remaining•BCCI
#20 - West Indies' tour of India in October 2014 was overshadowed by off-field issues, with the visitors abruptly leaving home mid-series due to internal payment disputes. However, Kohli did stamp a headline or two of his own, scoring 127 off 114 in Dharamsala in a big India win•BCCI
#23 - Chepauk might've collectively expected its Thala MS Dhoni to produce some fireworks, but was instead treated to some exemplary power-hitting from Kohli in October 2015. Kohli smashed 138 - his first ton against South Africa - and looked set for more before eventually giving in to cramps•AFP
#26 - There would be no tripping up in Mohali though, as Kohli and Dhoni guided India home against New Zealand in October 2016. Kohli bashed an unbeaten 154, including 54 runs off 33 balls from Trent Boult, taking his average in successful chases to a staggering 90.10•Associated Press
#29 - Hello again, old friends: Kohli and Rohit had both caused carnage to Sri Lanka the last time the two teams met in an ODI series, and the duo picked up right where it left off in 2014. Rohit whacked 104, Kohli bludgeoned 131 and India racked up 375 in Colombo, eventually inflicting Sri Lanka's biggest-ever defeat at home•Getty Images
#32 - The Rohit-Kohli show once again, as the pair piled on a 230-run partnership in Lucknow to lift India to 337. It was the fourth double-century partnership by the pair as Kohli, by virtue of his 106-ball 113, raced past 9000 ODI runs•BCCI
#35 - Kohli's masterclass in Centurion was in total contrast to his workman-like hundred in Cape Town; he blasted 19 fours and two sixes, making 68% of his runs in boundaries. India needed just 205 for victory, and Kohli alone contributed 129•BCCI
#38 - With his 107 in Pune, Kohli became the first Indian batter to score hundreds in three consecutive ODIs. India were chasing 284, but with no other batter contributing more than 35, Kohli was left with too much to do by himself as the team fell short by 43 runs•Associated Press
#41 - Three days later, in Ranchi, he was left fighting a lone battle once again, as Kohli scored 123 even as wickets fell regularly around him. No other batter contributed more than 32, and India eventually ran out of gas in a chase of 314•Getty Images
#44 - After more than 1050 days, and amid ever-growing questions about his (lack of) form and future in the India XI, Kohli ended his wait for an ODI century against Bangladesh in December 2022. While Kohli scored a much-needed 113 to get the monkey off his back, all the headlines were stolen by Ishan Kishan, who smashed the fastest double-hundred in ODI history. The pair put up 290 runs together to set up a massive India win•AFP/Getty Images
#47 - Kohli's late acceleration against Pakistan in the 2023 Asia Cup saw him clobber Faheem Ashraf, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf for big runs. Kohli was on 88 at the end of the 46th over, but fired his way to an unbeaten 122 off 94 balls, finishing the innings with 4, 4, 6. A shell-shocked Pakistan folded fast in the chase of 357•AFP/Getty Images
#50 - Magical No. 50 came not long after, in the semi-final of the 2023 World Cup, the man whose record he broke, Sachin Tendulkar, applauding from the stands. The ton came off 106 balls, with a hard-run two off Lockie Ferguson, as India marched towards a commanding 397 for 4 against New Zealand•ICC/Getty Images
Terms of Use|Privacy Policy|Your US State Privacy Rights|Children's Online Privacy Policy|Interest - Based Ads|Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information|Feedback
© 2024 ESPN Sports Media Ltd. All rights reserved