How many total centuries will Virat Kohli score before he retires?

ODIs

To know how many ODI Centuries Virat will end up scoring, one should understand how fast Virat scores them at current and predict how long he will play.

He has 50 ODI hundreds in 285 innings, so far.

That is one century every 5.7 innings. But, if you look close, Virat has raised his game to the peak since 2014, and he has one century every 4 games since then. (In the last few years, the number is slightly poor as he has been out of this format post the 2023 World Cup).

Let’s fix this number to 5, considering the aging factor. Also, he is out of touch for quite long now. Even though it is not that serious, this is his longest bad phase since 2010.

Now, let’s assume he plays till 2027 World Cup. He will be 39 then, and it is possible he will play till then. It all depends on how India performs at the upcoming ICC events, and how playing in international cricket take a toll on his body.

So, it is 3 more years to be taken into account.

Looking at India’s schedule, and the rise of T20s, it is expected that, Virat might play somewhere between 12-18 ODIs in a year. Let’s keep it to the average 15. India are playing 15 ODIs in 2025, excluding the Champions Trophy knock-outs.

That is 15*3 = 45 more innings. Again, this number might go up and down on World Cup years (More ODIs in 2027, and fewer ODIs in T20 WC years).

With our prediction of one century in every 5 innings, the number that arrives is 9. So, the final number would be:

50+9 = 59 ODI Centuries

This number might go up and down based on many factors, but I can say this is somewhere close to what we can expect from the chase master. 

Even the God of Cricket, Sachin got out in more nervous nineties in his career’s second-half. There are other factors too. We know Virat loves chasing, and his record in chasing is mind-boggling. The number depends on the Tosses also, which makes things more complicated to predict.

Still, I believe 59 is achievable by Virat, and most probably, he ends up somewhere around that.

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Tests

Thanks to the World Test Championships, Test cricket is more settled now with more context to every series that is played. The good thing about that is with the more fixed schedule, better information on games played.

Teams now play against each other for a place in the Championship finals that is scheduled for once every two years. It was what the greatest format in Cricket needed badly; something to look forward to, and take the game to the current generation. I firmly believe Test cricket can’t survive just with the traditional cricket fans; it needed to be taken to the present lot. Fortunately, the game is on the right path now.

Coming back to our topic, Virat’s number of Test innings in a year ranges from 11 to 19 in the last 3 years. As he is post-captaincy now, he is not expected to play every game. However, it is his favorite format, as he has said that a lot recently, and will continue to play the longest format as long as possible.

India, in total, are playing 9 Tests in the current year of 2025. That is, at an average, 18 Tests for two years. With the current form the Indian team is, in the home series, they are expected to win more Tests by innings. Virat, as a captain, made a sharp rise up that ladder. He is currently the Indian captain with the most innings win in Test cricket.

Keeping all that in mind, India are expected to play around 28 Test innings in 2 years, which is 14 innings in a year. The number 14 is 3 less than the average of Test innings Virat played in the last 8 years (leaving the COVID affected years). Still, the increase in the number of T20s will justify the number I have taken now.

I expect Virat to play till 2027 World Test Championships. He will be 39 then.

Assuming he plays till 2027, it is 2.5 more years. So we have the number of years and innings per year with us. And therefore, it is 2.5*14= 35 more Test innings.

The Indian captain has scored, so far, 30 centuries in his 210 Test innings including the 6 double centuries, that is one century every 7 innings. In the years between 2016 and 2019, he scored 12 hundreds in 51 innings, that is one in 4 innings. I would go with the number 7 here for the rest of his career as his form has been in a downward graph in the last few years.

One century in 7 innings will bring 5 more Test centuries for Virat in his next 35 Test innings. The final number would be:

30+5= 35 Test centuries.

From our calculation, I can say Sachin’s Test record will be safe, if our prediction becomes a fact.

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The Final Count

My predictions on Virat Kohli total centuries before he retires from all format:

• ODI Centuries: 59
• Test Centuries: 35
• T20I Centuries: 1

Final Count: 59+35+1 = 95 Centuries in International Cricket

So that’s my final number. Some of you might think differently. I have arrived at this number after considering a lot, from the aging factor to his conversion rates across all formats so far.

What makes this prediction more complicated is the International schedules and the way ICC is trying to do different things in the game. It will also be dependable on the Indian management’s decisions. With him being more matured and a man of the family now, there are more roles to play for him too.

“My mindset is on the bigger picture as I prepare myself for a rigorous three years from now and after that, we might have a different conversation,”

Kohli replied when asked if he is having second thoughts about quitting at least one format after the 2021 World T20 in India.

Wit all that, we have concluded here. The number I came up with might completely alter with what you have thought of. But it all depends on how the greatest batsman of the era decides to take things forward. After all, it is Virat Kohli we are talking about, the one who is known for his unbelievable run-making skills and doing insane things in the cricket field.