Virat Kohli Achieves Landmark with 7th ODI Century Against New Zealand

Post by : Bianca Suleiman

Indian cricket legend Virat Kohli made headlines once again by securing a remarkable century in the third ODI match against New Zealand held in Indore on Sunday.

Displaying excellent form throughout, Kohli reached his century in just 91 balls, hitting 8 fours and 2 sixes. This milestone marked his seventh ODI century against New Zealand, the highest achieved by any player in the history of ODIs against the Kiwis.

With this accomplishment, Kohli surpassed former giants Ricky Ponting and Virender Sehwag, who each had six centuries against New Zealand. Both Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya follow closely with five centuries each.

Most ODI Centuries vs New Zealand

• Virat Kohli – 7 (36 innings)

• Ricky Ponting – 6 (50 innings)

• Virender Sehwag – 6 (23 innings)

• Sachin Tendulkar – 5 (41 innings)

• Sanath Jayasuriya – 5 (45 innings)

Despite Kohli's stellar performance, India faced a challenging 41-run defeat which allowed New Zealand to clinch the three-match ODI series 2-1.

In pursuit of a demanding target of 338, India stumbled early, falling to 71 for four. Kohli’s valiant effort yielded 124 runs off 108 deliveries, marking his 54th ODI century. He found support from Nitish Kumar Reddy (53) and Harshit Rana (52), but the team was eventually bowled out for 296 in 46 overs.

New Zealand’s attack was spearheaded by Zak Foulkes (3/77) and Kristian Clarke (3/54), with spinner Jayden Lennox providing solid support at 2/42 from 10 overs.

Previously, New Zealand had established a robust score of 337 for eight in 50 overs, with solid contributions from Daryl Mitchell (137) and Glenn Phillips (106).

Kohli's remarkable innings also elevated his total of hundreds against New Zealand across all formats to 10, a record high for any player.

Most Hundreds vs New Zealand (All Formats)

• Virat Kohli – 10

• Jacques Kallis – 9

• Joe Root – 9

• Sachin Tendulkar – 9