Some innings win matches, and then some innings tilt the game’s timeline, the kind that make you check the date twice and wonder if you’ve just watched a piece of cricketing history unfold in real time. Virat Kohli’s 135 in Ranchi against South Africa belonged firmly in the second category. At 37, when most batters are choosing commentary gigs or golf handicaps, Kohli is choosing violence, the cricketing kind. Walking in during the fourth over, he went after South Africa’s bowlers with the urgency of a man who had no intention of waiting for form to return.
Record-Breaking Composure Under Pressure
Kohli’s hundred wasn’t just fluent; it was intentional, brutal, and frighteningly calculated. Eleven fours, seven sixes, and a strike rate north of 112 told the story of a senior statesman redefining aggression on his terms. South Africa tried pace, variation, heavy lengths, the works, but against Kohli’s tempo control, every plan looked amateur.
What is more important, however, is that this hit solidified his 25th fifty-plus hit against South Africa, making him equal to Sachin Tendulkar, who is the only other player to have 18 or fewer fifty-plus hits (Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid are at 18 and 21). This isn’t simply dominance, but an expression of superiority for nearly twenty years against what is arguably one of the top bowling units in the world.
Joining an Elite International Club
Kohli became only the fourth batter in cricket history to breach 100 fifty-plus scores across formats, a club otherwise consisting solely of Tendulkar, Ponting, and Kallis. What makes this milestone more absurd is his conversion rate: Kohli doesn’t collect empty calories. When he passes 50, bowlers start calculating field placements for the presentation stage, not new plans.
- Tendulkar: 112
- Ponting: 106
- Kallis: 104
- Kohli: 100, and counting with suspicious enthusiasm.
Owning South Africa’s ODI Ledger
Kohli now holds the most One-Day International (ODI) centuries against South Africa – six from 30 innings; he surpassed Tendulkar and Warner (five apiece). It’s a bit impolite given how South African bowlers are rarely soft. Pollock, Ntini, Steyn, Morkel, Rabada — Kohli has eaten well for years on multiple continents and bowling styles.
His total ODI tally against the Proteas stands at 1639 runs at an eye-watering 68.29 average. Only Tendulkar’s 2001 runs sit ahead, and even that required nearly double the innings.
Redefining What’s Possible in a Single Format
Perhaps the most historic nugget from Ranchi was this: Kohli’s 52nd ODI hundred is now the most centuries by any player in a single international format. Tendulkar’s 51 Test tons stood unchallenged for over a decade, largely considered untouchable in modern cluttered schedules. And yet, here we are. The line has moved again, and it was Kohli who pushed it.
Virat Kohli has reached a point where his batting transcends form, pitch conditions, and even tactical frameworks. This isn’t a resurgence. This isn’t even a second wind. This is the tail-end of a career behaving like the prime of one. Ranchi wasn’t about South Africa. It wasn’t about a bilateral ODI. It wasn’t even about the scoreboard.
The story isn’t “Can he catch up to Tendulkar?” The story is: “What happens when he goes past all of them?”
Key Takeaway
Kohli isn’t chasing records; he’s normalising numbers that once seemed mythical.
FAQs
1. What record did Kohli break in the Ranchi ODI?
He scored his 52nd ODI hundred, now the most centuries by any player in a single format.
2. Why is his knock against South Africa significant?
It pushed him past multiple legends, Tendulkar, Kallis, and Warner, across different statistical categories.
3. How does Kohli perform against South Africa historically?
Exceptionally: 1639 runs at 68.29 with six hundreds in just 30 innings.
Disclaimer: This blog post reflects the author’s personal insights and analysis. Readers are encouraged to consider the perspectives shared and draw their own conclusions.
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