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Fans of Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli may have their own views on who ranks higher, but there is little doubt that both batting greats have made an enormous contribution to Indian cricket. Their remarkable international records have often led to comparisons, particularly when it comes to their century tallies. Sachin finished his career with 100 international hundreds, while Virat has already accumulated 85.

However, neither player began their career as an established superstar. Their journeys to becoming cricketing icons took time, and an interesting comparison emerges when their early ODI careers are examined. Sachin went through his first five years without scoring an ODI century. But how did Virat Kohli fare during the equivalent period?

Sachin Tendulkar scored 0 centuries

Sachin made his ODI debut against Pakistan in 1989 and was dismissed for a duck. His wait for an ODI hundred lasted several years, as he failed to register a century in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992 or 1993.

The legendary batter eventually reached three figures against Australia, scoring his maiden ODI century in the 76th innings of his career. He went on to finish with 49 ODI centuries, a record that remained untouched until Virat Kohli surpassed it.

Virat Kohli scored 13 centuries

Virat's start was dramatically different. While Sachin managed zero ODI centuries in his first five years, Kohli struck 13 hundreds during the corresponding period of his career. Kohli did not score an ODI century in his debut year. However, he broke through in 2009 and then produced an extraordinary run of hundreds, scoring one century in 2009, three in 2010, four in 2011 and five in 2012.

Virat eventually broke Sachin's world record

Sachin Tendulkar's tally of 49 ODI centuries stood as the highest in the history of the format for more than a decade. He registered his 49th and final ODI hundred against Bangladesh in 2012.

The record eventually fell in November 2023 when Kohli scored his 50th ODI century against New Zealand during the World Cup. With that landmark innings, Kohli became the first batter to reach 50 ODI centuries and moved ahead of his former idol.

Virat Kohli has since extended that record and currently has 54 ODI centuries, making him the leading century-maker in ODI cricket.