For the former Indian opening batter, Navjot Singh Sidhu, it was a great pleasure watching the 100 scored by Virat Kohli on India’s Champions Trophy 2025 match played against Pakistan at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on Sunday, February 23. Immediately setting the right-handed batter to chase down the 242-run target in 42.3 overs sealed India’s six-wicket win over the opponent. A bold prediction about Kohli came from Sidhu, who has now donned the hat of an expert and commentator. According to Sidhu, he strongly believes that Kohli will feature in international matches for the next two or three years and make 10 to 15 more centuries.
“82 centuries in 547 international matches played till date in the past 17 years is what former Indian captain made in his international debut on 18 August 2008,” as the saying goes.
“Character is not made in a crisis; it is exhibited. This is a man (Virat Kohli) with pedigree, with passion. And after this hundred, I can tell you with conviction that this man is playing for the next 2 or 3 years, and he is getting another 10 or 15 hundreds. That, you take it from me. Because, you see, the ultimate litmus test for anyone is how he goes through the adverse times, how he embraces adversity. The last six months, there has been so much going on that he chose his moment. When he scored runs against Pakistan, people are not going to forget it for 10 years,” said Sidhu to Star Sports.
While analyzing Kohli’s 111-ball 100 in Dubai on Sunday, Sidhu said, “Look, when you assess Virat Kohli, what is his trademark? If I look at Sachin Tendulkar, it was always the back-foot punch that he would give. Look at Gavaskar, the straight drive. When you look at Virat Kohli, it’s the cover drive. And when he gets his head on top of the ball and he’s cover driving beautifully, you know he’s back.”
“If you watch the first part of his innings, if you watch those drives, you know that this is the old Virat Kohli. And it’s the character exhibited during the tough times that means the most to me. These are the people who inspire the kids in the streets,” he continued.
“To grow the game, you need archetypes that are above everything else. This is a ‘Kohinoor,’ a once-in-a-generation cricketer, Virat Kohli. Understand the value he adds to international cricket-99 innings and an average of 89.6 in successful chases-that means he handles pressure without letting himself be affected by it. And the tougher it is, the more he thrives under that situation. This is the hallmark of a great cricketer,” Sidhu stated.
