Nayar backs Kohli’s 100-century dream but questions timeline before 2027 World Cup

Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar doubts Virat Kohli will have enough matches before the 2027 ODI World Cup to reach 100 international centuries. Nayar and Cheteshwar Pujara also discussed India's all-rounder options and reviving ODI cricket

New Delhi: Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar believes Virat Kohli may not have enough matches before the 2027 ODI World Cup to reach the landmark of 100 international centuries, despite expressing his wish to see the batting great achieve the milestone.

Nayar and former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara discussed Kohli’s chances of reaching the century mark, India’s search for an all-rounder beyond Hardik Pandya in ODIs and the need to revive the 50-over format through multi-nation tournaments.

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Kohli holds the record for the most centuries in men’s ODI cricket, with 55 hundreds to his name, having surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s previous mark of 49. He reached his 50th ODI century during the 2023 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, becoming the first batter to achieve the milestone in the format.

“I don’t think there are enough games for him to reach that milestone. As much as I want him to, there have to be sufficient games for you to scale also. It’s possible that he may continue to play after the World Cup as well, but I am considering the period till the World Cup. After the World Cup, his motivation might not be the same either. So I don’t think there’s enough time till the World Cup for him to get to that,” Nayar told JioStar.

The discussion also turned to India’s plans to build depth in the ODI all-rounder department, with Nayar suggesting that the team should groom another option alongside Hardik Pandya.

“India should look at the future, where alongside Hardik Pandya, another all-rounder could play. When you go to New Zealand, it’s possible that you have two such all-round options because Gautam Gambhir likes batters. If you groom another all-rounder, they can play together. And if India can play with two proper fast bowlers and two seam-bowling all-rounders, then the team balance looks completely different because you get depth. The second thing is, when you go to South Africa, that will come in handy because now you have more batting options,” he said.

Nayar also backed the return of tri-nation and quadrangular tournaments, recalling the excitement generated by multi-team competitions.

“It’s fun because watching those series where you’re playing the final to win the trophy is a very different feeling. Also, it builds you up and prepares you for big tournaments, and often, fan engagement increases. When you play for a trophy involving three or four nations, you can go up and down in the standings and every game matters. So, I feel there’s nothing like tri-nation or quadrangular tournaments. Going back to Sharjah, when Sachin Tendulkar hit that shot against Australia to qualify, those are epic memories that get etched in your mind,” Nayar added.

Pujara, meanwhile, stressed the need to develop Nitish Kumar Reddy as a backup all-rounder, given the fitness concerns surrounding Hardik.

“When Hardik is fit, obviously he will be part of the playing XI. But you can’t rely on just one player because he has some fitness concerns and isn’t fit throughout the year. So, you need a like-for-like replacement. That’s why I think the Indian team needs to groom Nitish Kumar Reddy. When Hardik is available, obviously he is the first choice, but you have a backup option in Nitish Kumar Reddy,” Pujara said.

Pujara also supported the idea of bringing back tri-nation and quadrangular series, arguing that they would test teams against a wider range of opponents and help sustain interest in ODI cricket.

“In terms of preparation as well, in ODI cricket, if you are playing against just one team, you know their strengths and weaknesses quite well. But when you have three or four teams, then you have to prepare for different players. So many times, we talk about ODI cricket dying or fans not having that much interest. How can fans’ interest improve? When more players are seen and more teams play, only then can it get better. So I feel a tri-nation series is the way to go,” he said.