Who can break Sachin Tendulkar's record of 100 international centuries?

With Virat Kohli retiring from Test cricket, the question of who might break Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 international centuries has resurfaced among fans.

 

At the peak of his powers, Kohli appeared to be the most likely candidate to surpass Tendulkar’s milestone. While he did overtake Sachin’s record of 49 centuries in ODI cricket, his tally of Test hundreds remained at 30.

 

Kohli is now 18 centuries short of the magical figure of 100 tons (including Tests, ODIs and T20Is), and with his Test career over, he will only represent India in ODIs. 

 

With the T20 World Cup scheduled for next year, India is expected to focus more on the shortest format in an effort to defend the title.   How many ODIs will India play before the ICC ODI World Cup in 2027?

 

In an era where the relevance of the 50-over format is constantly debated, scoring 19 more hundreds in ODIs to break Tendulkar’s record appears an almost insurmountable task.

 

There is a possibility that Kohli could feature in the 2027 ODI World Cup, to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. However, India is currently scheduled to play only 27 ODIs before the tournament, including a three-match series against Bangladesh in August–September, 2025.

 

It seems Tendulkar's record is here to stay. 

Players with most hundreds in international career in Tests+ODIs+T20Is
Player	Span	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	100	50	0
Sachin Tendulkar (IND)	1989-2013	664	782	74	34357	248*	48.52	100	164	34
Virat Kohli (IND)	2008-2025	550	617	89	27599	254*	52.27	82	143	38
Ricky Ponting (AUS/ICC)	1995-2012	560	668	70	27483	257	45.95	71	146	39
Kumar Sangakkara (Asia/ICC/SL)	2000-2015	594	666	67	28016	319	46.77	63	153	28
Jacques Kallis (Afr/ICC/SA)	1995-2014	519	617	97	25534	224	49.1	62	149	33
Hashim Amla (SA/World)	2004-2019	349	437	36	18672	311*	46.56	55	88	19
Mahela Jayawardene (Asia/SL)	1997-2015	652	725	62	25957	374	39.15	54	136	47
Joe Root (ENG)	2012-2025	361	474	51	20724	262	48.99	53	111	24
Brian Lara (ICC/WI)	1990-2007	430	521	38	22358	400*	46.28	53	111	33
David Warner (AUS)	2009-2024	383	474	26	18995	335*	42.39	49	98	23
Rohit Sharma (IND)	2007-2025	499	532	65	19700	264	42.18	49	108	34
Steve Smith (AUS)	2010-2025	353	415	56	17165	239	47.81	48	81	20
Kane Williamson (NZ)	2010-2025	371	441	48	19086	251	48.56	48	102	20
Rahul Dravid (Asia/ICC/IND)	1996-2012	509	605	72	24208	270	45.41	48	146	21
AB de Villiers (Afr/SA)	2004-2018	420	484	68	20014	278*	48.11	47	109	20
Chris Gayle (ICC/WI)	1999-2021	483	551	35	19593	333	37.97	42	105	44
Sanath Jayasuriya (Asia/SL)	1989-2011	586	651	35	21032	340	34.14	42	103	53
Younis Khan (PAK)	2000-2017	408	491	45	17790	313	39.88	41	83	43
Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI)	1994-2015	454	553	94	20988	203*	45.72	41	125	21
Mathew Hayden (AUS/ICC)	1993-2009	273	348	32	15066	380	47.67	40	69	23

 

  Virat Kohli vs Sachin Tendulkar: How their International cricket stats stack up? 

Tendulkar scored 51 centuries in 200 Tests and 49 in 463 ODIs. In comparison, Kohli has 30 Test centuries in 123 matches, 51 in 302 ODIs, and one century in 125 T20 Internationals. Former captain Rohit Sharma has scored a total of 49 international centuries—12 in Tests, 32 in ODIs, and five in T20Is. 

 

If Kohli does manage to equal or break Tendulkar’s record in the twilight of his career, it would be considered an extraordinary achievement.

 

Kohli vs Sachin: How the numbers stack up?
Statistic	Test (Sachin)	Test (Kohli)	ODI (Sachin)	ODI (Kohli)	T20I (Sachin)	T20I (Kohli)	IPL (Sachin)	IPL (Kohli)
Matches	200	123	463	302	1	125	78	263
Innings	329	210	452	290	1	117	78	255
Runs	15921	9230	18426	14181	10	4188	2334	8509
Balls Faced	29437	16608	21367	15192	12	3056	1948	6417
Highest Score	248	254	200	183	10	122	100	113
Average	53.79	46.85	44.83	57.88	10	48.7	33.83	39.58
Strike Rate	54.09	55.58	86.24	93.35	83.34	137.05	119.82	132.61
Not Outs	33	13	41	45	0	31	9	40
Fours	2058	1027	2016	1325	2	369	295	749
Sixes	69	30	195	153	0	124	29	290
Ducks	14	30	20	15	0		4
50s	68	31	96	74	0	38	13	62
100s	51	30	49	51	0	1	1	8
200s	6	7	1	0	0	0	0	0

 

So, who could be next in line to challenge Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 international centuries?

 

Among the current generation of Indian cricketers, based purely on age and potential, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal appear to be the most promising candidates.

 

Shubman Gill’s record in international cricket

 

The 25-year-old Gill has scored 16 international centuries since making his ODI debut on January 31, 2019, at Seddon Park against New Zealand. His tally includes eight hundreds in ODIs and five in Test cricket. 

 

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s record in international cricket

 

At just 23, Jaiswal is another exciting talent who could potentially challenge Tendulkar’s record. He has already demonstrated the ability to perform in tough conditions and is considered one of the players who could shape the future of Indian cricket.

 

However, he is not a regular feature in India’s ODI setup, with the opening slots currently occupied by Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. His place in T20 Internationals is also uncertain, as players like Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson continue to make strong cases in the shortest format.