Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli was on a record-breaking spree in the recently-concluded ODI series in Sri Lanka.
The Men in Blue completed a 5-0 series whitewash when the skipper smashed an unbeaten 110 in the fifth and final ODI at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, September 3.
Also read: List of records Virat Kohli set in the 5th ODI in Colombo
Apart from becoming the first captain with three whitewashes in an ODI series of minimum five matches, Kohli also matched Australian legend Ricky Ponting's tally of 30 centuries in the 50-over international format.
Kohli is now second only to batting great Sachin Tendulkar's tally of 49 ODI centuries. Kohli has also got to the landmark (30 tons) in just 194 matches, while Ponting and Tendulkar needed 349 and 267 matches, respectively.
However, Kohli believes that matching Tendulkar's historic tally is all but impossible and that it requires "a hell of an effort". The in-form Delhi dasher though revealed he is not focussed on numbers, but is determined to keep contributing for the team's cause.
"It is an honour for me to equal someone like Ricky Ponting. That is not something that you aim for but obviously he is a great player and as batsmen, we all respect what these legends have done," Kohli said at the post-match press conference on Sunday.
He added: "It feels great to equal one, but as you said the great man [Tendulkar] is quite a bit away. That's going to take a hell of an effort.
"Again, I am not thinking about that. It's only about the team where even if I score a 90 not out and the team goes across the line, it's good enough for me."
Can Kohli match the Master Blaster
Kohli though has a realistic chance of matching or even bettering Tendulkar's ODI record. At 28, Kohli has already scored 30 tons, while Tendulkar finished his ODI career, after featuring in a record-breaking 463 matches, with 49 centuries.
Given Kohli extraordinary fitness levels and his hunger for runs, Kohi is in line to break the said record in the coming years.
