Last month India faced whitewash (0-2) against South Africa home Test series. India’s recent Test series against South Africa raised questions about the impact of key player retirements.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, both stalwarts of Indian cricket, have made significant contributions to the team’s success in the past.

Their absence was felt deeply during the series, as India’s batting lineup struggled to find stability and experience. The duo’s leadership and batting prowess could have turned the tide in favor of India, potentially allowing them to capitalise on home advantage. If both players had continued their Test careers, the outcome might have been different, highlighting the importance of experienced players in crucial matches.

After a disappointing Test series, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma bounced back for the national squad in the ODI series, showcasing they remain India’s premier batsmen. In the first ODI at Ranchi last Sunday, Kohli etched his name further into cricket history with an impressive 52nd ODI century. His stellar knock not only solidified his legendary status but also set a new record for the most centuries in men’s ODI cricket, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s 51 centuries.

Having made his ODI debut in August 2008, Kohli scored his first century in 2009 and has since amassed a total of 83 international centuries—52 in ODIs, 30 in Tests, and 1 in T20Is. His remarkable achievement places him second behind Tendulkar, who holds the record with 100 centuries across formats.

Virat Kohli eased to his second successive century in the second ODI against South Afrida at Raipur. The knock was Kohli’s 11th instance of back-to-back ODI centuries, a format record.

Despite the performance, reactions highlighted his enduring impact, though the match outcome saw mixed team results.

Virat Kohli overall scored 14,492 runs in one-day internationals in 307 matches, averaging 58.20 with the help of 53 centuries and 75 fifties.

In addition to being the fastest player to reach 14,000 ODI runs, Kohli has claimed the record for the most ODI centuries leading to wins, with 42 of his 52 tons contributing to India’s victories. He has displayed his prowess with a batting average that makes him known as the “Chase Master”; having scored 27 tons while chasing down targets.

Kohli’s latest century came after a 746-day wait for an ODI ton on home soil, where he scored 135 off 120 balls, reaffirming his dominance with 11 fours and 7 sixes. This 53rd century makes him the only Indian to score six hundreds against South Africa.

Virat Kohli now holds the record for the most 50+ scores (59) at home in ODIs, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar (58) fifty plus scores.

The Chase Master has so far scored 5 centuries in the ODI World Cup with one each in 2011 and 2015 against Bangladesh and Pakistan respectively before three tons in the 2023 home World Cup. In 2025, this is Virat Kohli’s 2nd hundred. He earlier scored a century against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy.

As for favourite oppositions, Kohli has scored the most ODI 100s (10) against Sri Lanka. That also happens to be the record for a player scoring most hundreds against a single opposition in ODIs. Kohli has also scored nine hundreds against West Indies and eight against Australia, making the two his next favourite opponents. Here is a look at Kohli’s hundreds list in One Day Internationals. He now has six centuries against South Africa.

Earlier this year, Kohli also broke Tendulkar’s record of the fastest to score 14000 runs in ODI cricket, conceding just 287 innings, 63 fewer than India’s batting great.

In the 3-match series against South Africa, Kohli would also look to reach the tally of 28,000 runs in international cricket. The feat has previously been achieved only by Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara. Ahead of the start of the series, Kohli needed 337 runs to reach the milestone.

Returning for the first ODI against South Africa, Rohit Sharma etched his name into cricket history by becoming the highest six-hitter in ODI cricket. With three sixes in the match, Rohit surpassed former Pakistan star Shahid Afridi, now boasting an impressive total of 352 sixes in ODIs. Alongside this achievement, he is just 41 runs shy of 20,000 international runs.

Rohit, who already holds the record for the most sixes across all formats (642), reached this milestone after breaking Afridi’s longstanding record of 351 sixes, which had stood for 15 years.

Initially, Rohit was not known for big hits; he scored his first six in his third ODI innings against Pakistan, but by the time he reached his first hundred in 2010, he had only hit five sixes in 1023 balls faced.

This changed dramatically in 2013, when Rohit launched 16 sixes in a single ODI innings against Australia, setting a record at that time. Since then, his ability to clear the boundary has skyrocketed, contributing 316 sixes in 167 innings, averaging a six every 27.35 balls. Since taking over as captain in 2022, his ratio has improved further to 17.69 balls per six, with 107 sixes in 46 innings.

Rohit’s prowess has led to multiple records, including the most sixes against a single team (93 against Australia), the most sixes in a country (182 in India), and the highest in a single year (67 in 2023). He also leads in World Cup sixes with 54, including 31 in the 2023 edition.

Marco Jansen had the honor of conceding Rohit’s record-breaking 352nd six, becoming the 150th bowler to be hit for a six by him. Notably, Rohit has been remarkably selective, facing more than 100 deliveries from West Indian spinner Marlon Samuels without hitting a six, while hitting 232 sixes against pace bowlers and 120 against spinners.

Rohit has also amassed 130 sixes within the first ten overs of ODI innings, second only to Chris Gayle’s 152. With 170 sixes hit between the 11th and 40th overs, he leads all players in this category, reflecting his explosive batting style.

Rohit’s achievement has ended Afridi’s reign at the top, which lasted 15 years and 5641 days, the second-longest in history. Among active players, Jos Buttler ranks second with 182 sixes while Virat Kohli follows with 159, initiating a fierce competition for boundary-hitting supremacy.

Rohit could become the first to hit 400 sixes in ODIs if he plays for couple of more years. Even if he does not, he would still hold the record for a long time, with no other contenders in sight and the reduction in the number of ODIs played.

NOTE: All statistics are updated upto the second ODI (Dec 3).

[email protected]