Former Pakistan Wicket-keeper batter Kamran Akmal believes Star Pakistan batter Babar Azam and young Indian opener Shubman Gill can break the record of Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli’s 50 centuries in ODI cricket. In the semifinals of the major event, the 35-year-old accomplished an incredible feat against New Zealand, surpassing the record of Sachin Tendulkar’s 49 ODI hundreds.
After equaling batting great Tendulkar with a record-breaking century against South Africa on his 35th birthday, Virat Kohli smashed his 50th One Day International (ODI) century to achieve a massive milestone in the history of the game, with him being one batter to score 50 centuries in the 50-over format of the game.
Speaking on ARY News, Kamran Akmal feels that his fellow country mate Babar Azam and young batter Shubman Gill has the potential to break Virat Kohli’s 50 ODI hundreds record in the future.
“Vo (record) top-3 waale he tod sakte hai 50 hundreds ka. Middle-order batsman nahi tod payega. Hamare paas Babar (Azam) hai vo kar sakta hai. Top-3 mein khelta hai. Unke paas abhi (Shubman) Gill hai, vo peeche lag sakta hai is record ke (Only the top three batters can break the record of 50 ODI centuries, and the middle-order can’t break it. We have Babar Azam who can break it. They have Shubman Gill who can chase the record),” Kamran Akmal.
With fewer ODIs being played, many believe it will be impossible for any cricketer to surpass Virat Kohli’s record of 50 ODI centuries. Tendulkar had amassed 49 centuries from 463 ODIs, but Virat Kohli has surpassed him in 291 games and appears likely to maintain the record for a very long time. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma stands third in the list with 31 hundreds.
Babar Azam didn’t play in international cricket till 2015, whereas Virat Kohli has been playing since 2008. Virat Kohli, the former captain of the Indian cricket team, ruled the One-Day International (ODI) circuit over the years and it would be a daunting task for the Pakistan batter to achieve this massive record in One-day cricket.
Both Virat Kohli and Babar Azam are among the best players of the current generation, particularly in the ODI format, where they have played some of their best cricket. Meanwhile, Shubman Gill has impressed everyone in shorting cricketing career, showing remarkable consistency in the 50-over format of the game, and could be a crucial player for the Indian team in the future.