New Delhi: The faint winter air in Ranchi carried a hint of nostalgia as Virat Kohli walked off with a century in his arms. Three days later, Raipur felt warmer, almost celebratory, as the former India captain lifted his bat once more. Two back-to-back ODI hundreds — his 83rd and 84th international centuries — reopened a question Indian cricket has lived with for nearly a decade: Can Virat Kohli get to 100 international hundreds?

These centuries were not just milestones. They felt like a reconnection with the deeper currents that have always defined him — the certainty in his movements, the precision in his decision-making, the hunger that refuses to fade. For two years, the idea of chasing 100 hundreds had felt like a warm memory one smiled at rather than believed in. But the knocks in Ranchi and Raipur shifted that sentiment. The chase feels alive again. Not guaranteed, not even probable — but possible.

Kohli and the narrowing of formats

Kohli’s cricketing universe has shrunk. Test cricket is no longer his domain, and he retired from T20Is nearly two years ago. What remains is ODI cricket, a format whose relevance is debated endlessly in an era dominated by T20 leagues. Schedules are tighter, bilateral series leaner, and windows shorter. Yet this restriction might be his path forward.

A single-format existence means every innings has space to grow — to dig deep, to build, to sculpt the kind of knocks that define him. But the reduction in matches also makes the road fragile. Fewer innings mean fewer opportunities.

India’s Future Tours Programme till 2027 outlines 29 ODIs for the national side — including series against New Zealand, Afghanistan, England (away), West Indies, New Zealand again (away), and Sri Lanka in 2026. The 2027 World Cup, returning to the older 14-team format with group stages before a Super Six, offers India a minimum of 11 matches if they reach the final.

That brings the tally to 29 matches without stretching the calendar. Add a possible ODI Asia Cup, warm-up series before the World Cup, or rebalanced bilateral fixtures, and the number could touch 35.

Thirty-five ODIs. Sixteen hundreds needed. That is the equation.

The numbers and the peak

If cricketing dreams followed mathematical logic, the story would end here. Sixteen hundreds in around 35 innings is a rate few have ever achieved. Kohli’s own peak provides a reference point. Between 2017 and 2019, he scored 17 ODI hundreds in 65 innings — one every 3.8 innings. It felt superhuman then. It feels even more so now.

But here is the twist: in his last 19 ODI innings, including Ranchi and Raipur, Kohli has five hundreds. That too is one every 3.8 innings. The arc of his form seems to be bending back toward his prime.

Yet to reach 100 hundreds, he needs a rate of roughly one hundred every 2.1 innings — significantly better than his best phase. On paper, this appears unreasonable. On the field, Kohli has made a career out of redefining reason.

Kohli has recorded 11 different streaks of consecutive ODI hundreds — the twos, the threes, the clusters of form that arrive unannounced. No one else in history is close. And streaks, by nature, defy logic. They depend on rhythm, clarity, timing — all qualities that seem to be reappearing in his batting.

If a streak emerges at the right moment — a home season in 2026 or the 2027 World Cup — six or seven centuries could arrive in one burst. Suddenly, the impossible would feel within touching distance.

The limits of time

But even the most compelling stories must listen to reality. Kohli will be 38 by the time the 2027 World Cup arrives. His discipline remains unmatched, but physical limits are inescapable. India will also need to develop younger batters, and workload management will inevitably reduce his time in the middle.

The path to 100 steepens with age. It bends upward sharply with every passing season.

The question and the belief

Can he do it? The only honest answer is: there is no definite no. There never has been. Kohli’s greatest feats have come when cricket’s logic expected otherwise — Hobart 2012, Mumbai 2016, Melbourne 2022. His career is built on acts he was not meant to pull off.

So the dream remains alive. Sixteen hundreds. Roughly 35 innings. One man who has spent 15 years turning the improbable into a habit. It may remain unfinished. It may stay just out of reach. But after Ranchi and Raipur, the pursuit feels vibrant again.

Kohli may or may not reach 100 hundreds — but if there is any player who can make the cricketing world believe that the impossible is only slightly out of reach, it is him. And that belief alone makes the journey worth watching.