Virat Kohli scored his 51st century against Pakistan and former England captains Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain have expressed their admiration for Virat Kohli’s incredible ODI record, with both agreeing that the Indian batting star could be regarded as one of the greatest to ever play the format. Kohli’s brilliant unbeaten 100, his 51st century in ODIs, was a match-winning knock that guided India to a six-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Champions Trophy clash in Dubai on Sunday.
Former England Skipper Praises Virat Kohli
“Virat Kohli in a run-chase in 50-over cricket, there’s been nobody better in the history of the game, really. 51 century is an unbelievable number,” said the 56-year-old Atherton, who captained England in 54 Test matches, on ‘Sky Sports Cricket Podcast’.
“I mean, he’s got 51 and he passed 14,000 runs, which only Tendulkar and Sangakkara have got past that mark in one-day cricket,” Atherton further continued.
“And he got them in 60-odd innings quicker than Sachin, and I think about 90-odd innings quicker than Kumar.
Nasser Hussain Calls Kohli Best In ODI
“So, I mean, ODI is probably his best. You know, he’s been a great all-format player, clearly, but you’d probably say that ODI is his absolute best format.” Echoing similar sentiments, Hussain, who led England between 1999 to 2003, remarked, “He’s been an incredible player. Yeah, and you’d have to say probably the best player in ODIs of all time, really, with those stats you mentioned.
“You’d have Tendulkar in the same conversation. Kumar, you’d have AB de Villiers. They’ve been some great ones, but he’s right at the top of the tree.” Hussain mentioning about all the legendary players
Virat Kohli’s Record-Breaking Century Against Pakistan
Virat Kohli’s incredible century guided India towards dominant six-wicket win against Pakistan in ICC Champions Trophy 2025. With this knock Kohli etched his name in history by surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s record as the fastest player to reach 14,000 runs. He also became the fastest player to cross the 9,000, 10,000, 11,000, 12,000 and 13,000 runs milestone. With the win over Pakistan, India now has a week off before their crucial final group-stage match against New Zealand on Sunday in Dubai.
