"The record will definitely be broken" - Mohammad Kaif on Virat Kohli surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's ODI century tally in 2023

Mohammad Kaif believes Virat Kohli will break Sachin Tendulkar's ODI century record by the end of the World Cup later this year.

Kohli smashed 113 runs off 87 deliveries, his 45th ODI ton, in the first ODI against Sri Lanka in Guwahati on Tuesday, January 10. The modern batting great is just four short of Tendulkar's record of 49 ODI centuries.

During an interaction on the Star Sports show 'Match Point', Kaif was asked whether Kohli would break Tendulkar's record by the end of the home season, to which he responded:

"He can make 60 as well. There are a lot of matches to be played in India if you include the World Cup as well - the form he has currently, they play on good pitches and he bats through the innings. The record will definitely be broken, that is certain, but it needs to be seen how soon he does that."

The former Indian batter reckons Kohli could even reach 55 or 60 centuries by the end of the World Cup, reasoning:

"I feel he can probably reach 55 to 60 as well considering the form with which he is playing. He doesn't get tired, he is No. 1 in fitness and he has been given the right name of 'Run Machine'. He likes staying on the pitch and scoring runs in the Indian jersey. We didn't see any lack of passion."

The Men in Blue will play a plethora of ODIs before the World Cup. Apart from the two remaining ODIs against Sri Lanka, they are scheduled to play three-match series against New Zealand, Australia and the West Indies, the Asia Cup, and another three-match series against the Aussies.

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"How to use the form - Virat Kohli is in front of you" - Mohammad Kaif

Virat Kohli has scored back-to-back ODI hundreds. [P/C: Twitter]

Kaif was also asked about his thoughts on Kohli's century in the first ODI against Sri Lanka, to which he replied:

"However much you might practice, the runs you score on the pitch bring you a different confidence. When you score runs, you get the form. How to use the form - Virat Kohli is in front of you. It was a bad phase but once he scored a century against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup, leave aside the Test matches, he has scored in every innings in white-ball cricket."

The cricketer-turned-commentator concluded by saying that Kohli's form will be vital in India's pursuit to win the World Cup, elaborating:

"He has won big matches and defeated Pakistan on his own. Now he has scored back-to-back hundreds. He needs to be in form if you have to win the World Cup trophy. Virat Kohli knows how to carry his form forward."

Kohli has scored 424 runs at an excellent average of 60.57 and an impressive strike rate of 134.60 in the 11 T20Is he has played since his century against Afghanistan at the Asia Cup.

Although he was dismissed cheaply in the first two ODIs against Bangladesh, he bounced back brilliantly to score 113 runs apiece in his last two games.