Virat Kohli Smashes Record-Extending 55th Century As Star Indian Batter Dominates In India Vs West Indies 1st ODI 2026

Virat Kohli brought up his 55th ODI century in the most emphatic fashion possible — dancing down the track to Gudakesh Motie and lofting a flighted delivery handsomely over long-on for a six. The Thiruvananthapuram crowd erupted as Kohli whipped off his helmet and raised his bat in celebration, capping a flawless knock that put India firmly in control of the run-chase against West Indies.

Kohli reached three figures off just 74 balls — the third-fastest ODI hundred of his career. It sits behind only his blistering 52-ball century against Australia in Jaipur (2013) and his 61-ball effort against Australia in Nagpur (2013), and ahead of his 76-ball hundreds against Sri Lanka in Hobart (2012) and Colombo (2017), as well as his 80-ball century against Sri Lanka in Guwahati (2023). It's a innings that shows Kohli, even in the twilight of his career, remains capable of making landmark hundreds at speed.

The century also holds statistical significance beyond its tempo. This is now Kohli's 10th ODI hundred against West Indies, drawing him level with his tally of 10 centuries against Sri Lanka — making these his two most prolific victims in the format. For context, Sachin Tendulkar managed 9 centuries against Australia and 8 against Sri Lanka, while Rohit Sharma has 9 against Australia. Kohli's numbers against both West Indies and Sri Lanka now stand alone at the top of that particular record.

Adding to his enduring dominance, Kohli has scored the most hundreds in ODIs since 2025, racking up 5 centuries in 20 innings to edge past Joe Root's 4 centuries in 24 innings and teammate Shubman Gill's 4 centuries in 20 innings.

Coming on the same day he became only the second batter in history to reach 15,000 ODI runs, this century adds yet another layer to what has already been a landmark outing for Kohli — a knock defined by elegance, timing, and, fittingly, a touch of theatre with the bat raised high.