“We have Babar Azam who can break it” – Kamran Akmal on 50 ODI centuries record of Virat Kohli.

Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman, Kamran Akmal, has expressed his belief that Babar Azam and Shubman Gill have the potential to surpass Virat Kohli’s remarkable record of 50 One Day International (ODI) centuries. Virat Kohli achieved this milestone by surpassing Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI hundreds during the first semi-final of the 2023 World Cup against New Zealand, marking his 279th ODI innings.

Akmal said “Vo (record) top-3 waale he tod sakte hai 50 hundreds ka. Middle-order batsman nahi tod payega. Hamare paas Babar (Azam) hai vo kar sakta hai. Top-3 mein khelta hai. Unke paas abhi (Shubman) Gill hai, vo peeche lag sakta hai is record ke (Only the top three batters can break the record of 50 ODI centuries, and the middle-order can’t break it. We have Babar Azam who can break it. They have Shubman Gill who can chase the record)

Babar Azam, currently 29 years old, has already notched up an impressive 19 ODI centuries from 114 innings. Meanwhile, 24-year-old Shubman Gill has displayed his prowess by scoring six centuries in just 43 ODI innings. Based on their current rates of scoring a century approximately every six innings, it is conceivable that Babar Azam could potentially break Kohli’s record in around 300 innings, while Gill might require approximately 358 innings.